My Summer is Nearing to an End July 26, 2008

Next week is my last week of being lazy. I can’t believe how fast the summer went. The crazy thing is–I don’t feel ready for the school year to begin. I haven’t planned a thing. I kinda got side-tracked, but for a good cause. I found out on July 3rd that I was pregnant. Since then my emotions and insides have gone on a very twisty roller coaster. This week has been the first in many that I have actually felt well enough to get in-front of a computer, go outside, and eat. My appetite consisted of pretzels and peanut butter for the past three weeks.

My goal next week is to start planning for the school year. School offically begins August 18; however, I have meetings to attend in Memphis and then of course in-service. I do have some thoughts in mind of how I want to manage my classroom this year. I have been reading literature on managing a successful writing workshop. I still need to figure out my kinks– time is always a factor.

First full day overload August 21, 2007

Boy, do I feel frazzled! Today was the first full day of school. I seem to always forget that 6th graders come to me not knowing how to do simple things. We spent two class periods just organizing our notebooks and going over procedures. I had this one kid ask me “Do we have to go over each of these bullets(on the syllabus)?” I actually said, “Well, yes…have you ever been in my classroom before? You need to know how I do things.” Other than that incident the day went by smoothly. The first weeks of school are always so tiring b/c you have to go over and over procedures and rules. I am hoping that tomorrow I’ll get some writing in.

First Day August 20, 2007

The first day back was great! It was only a half day so tomorrow is the real test. I got a new student today too and not enough books. Oh well! The only thing that I am dreading is this long night without air conditioning–I wish I was still at school.

I’m Ready for the first day! August 19, 2007

Tomorrow I start my first day back to school. I am totally excited and can’t wait to be back in the classroom. I have planned a writing activitiy with my students and would like to share it with you. I got the idea from the book The Playful Way to Serious Writing by Roberta Allen. This book is great! I encourage you to check it out for you to use in your classroom or for yourself. Check out what I am going to do! I hope you can use it in your classroom!

Summer Writing Activity

Ready, Set… August 17, 2007

I so far have gotten ready and set for my first day of school. Today, I spent the whole day organizing my classroom. All I have to do now is get my lesson plans done and then I will be ready for GO! I can’t believe how exhausted I am. I am just glad my room is finished. I can’t wait until school starts Monday!

Back to school cookout: a success! August 16, 2007

Tonight I held my 3rd annual homeroom cookout for my upcoming 6th graders and their families. It was held at a local park at 6:30. We had hot dogs and hamburgers along with all the fixings. (which was donated by a local grocery store & the kids brought drinks, chips, and deserts) YUM! All but 4 families attended. I was satisfied! The weather has been very hot and I was worried about the turnout. The cookout is a great way to meet parents in an informal way. I have found that my parents enjoy the cookout just as much as the kids do. They too get to see old friends and reconnect.

I am interested in what you may do to get ready for back to school. Leave a comment.