School has started

This week I am reading up about all my teacher friends in their classrooms: getting ready, starting school, getting supplies, practicing procedures, planning lessons, preparing morning work, and so on. I have so many emotions going on. I have been looking at all the blogs with morning work, great Kindergarten enhancement activities and center activities. I have been reading about disasters, heart-breakers, and great days and sweet students and exhausted teachers. I feel like I am on the outside looking in. I am obsessed with all things teaching, learning and school. I watched the episode of Chopped today with the school lunch ladies on it, and the judges cried, so I guess I shouldn't be so surprised that I got emotional. lunch ladies telling stories about students who don't have food at home. Not a surprise. And not so far-fetched. Err on the side of caution I say. I had a student tell me at the end of last year that he didn't have any food at home because his Mom had to take extra time off work while his Dad was in Mexico. I really don't know if they didn't have anything, but I got him signed up for the last backpack buddy week.

I also realized that I am getting attached to students already. I see them struggling with reading and my heart aches for them already. This year will be filled with rewards and heartache, I guess that is sort of the same as any year.

By the way, laying down the law at the beginning of the year pays dividends, but it's just not that much fun. I hate this part. I want them to know from the get-go that I mean business and that they need to be ready to learn when they arrive, I just hate the implementation and teaching students that yes, I mean business. But when I do get those boundaries established, I know it will be worth it! Had to talk to a teacher about disruptive behavior from this student, and he so cute, so endearing. I had to hug him after school today.

Seems to me that everything has both and up side and down side. Downside to my current job: I miss having my own classroom.  Up-side: I am not giving up family/personal/home time to write lesson plans.

I am changing the name of my blog. I am changing it to read: Education in Ms. Horn's world.  That way it will be valid this year and still be valid when I get my own classroom next year.

It was a good week. Next week: benchmark testing.

"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one." ~ the late great Dr. Seuss