Had my first formal observation this week, and it went really well. I told my kids if they rocked it I would consider doing a pizza party on Friday, and they actually did NOT rock it the way I was hoping they would, but it gave me the chance to display my classroom management to…

I’m taking my first sick day today. It sucks, but unlike when I had to miss a day to do data training with the district, I don’t have enough energy to be worried about my kids. There’s stuff in the sub folder, the lesson plan/agenda is up on the board. If things go crazy, it…

I really don’t have time to be posting, but I haven’t in a while, and I sometimes have felt over the past week like I do nothing but grading. The end of my first nine weeks of teaching is on Friday, and I simultaneously feel like I’ve been doing it FOREVER and like I just…

Today was a good day. I just – I have such love and joy and pride in my kids. I don’t know what I expected when I started – I expected the struggle, and the pain, and the exhaustion. I expected to feel helpless most of the time, feeling like I didn’t know what I…

Today my PD came to my school and observed one of my classes, and then she and my AP and I had a talk about my concerns with my first period class. And what I’ve taken away from this conversation is this: I need to calm the heck down. I’ve been so, so worried and…

TODAY CAN BITE ME. SERIOUSLY.

So here’s the thing. On the one hand, I absolutely and completely love my kids and I’m still having a ridiculously fun time up in front of the classroom. On the other hand, I have such overwhelming guilt – because there’s so much paperwork and I find it so intimidating, and it seems so inextricably…

We’re coming up to the end of my first month of teaching, and in the past week quite a lot has happened. I got my first full load of classes a week ago yesterday! I am thisclose to having all my students’ names memorized, too – a lot of them were in my Study Skills…

Today my kids translated the Fresh Prince of Belair theme song into Standard Academic English as a practice for using SAE during the first draft writing of their first ever five paragraph essay for my class. It was pretty much the most hilarious thing I’ve ever seen. I am not exaggerating when I say that…