Shake it Off

It's a given that there are many days that won't go as planned for a teacher. I didn't expect today to be one of them, but I guess I should have since I'm starting a new school and new grade. As Forrest Gump's mama might have said about new students, you never know what you're gonna get. Even though I spent the first week and a half of my teaching career as a 3rd grade teacher, I was still surprised by the smallness of my students. I'd forgotten the shock I felt when I was abruptly switched to the 4th grade and my students seemed to have doubled in size (and attitude).

Their size and immaturity caught me somewhat off guard, and turned some of the seemingly simple rules and procedures activities I'd planned into a struggle. Adding to that struggle was the realization that almost all of my students are ELL's including at least three students who speak no English. So, if my lessons weren't already too tough, the fact that they didn't know what I was saying probably made the whole day plenty challenging.

Still, as the title of this post suggests, if I've learned anything from the past two years (and a day) you need to be able to shake it off when things don't go as expected. Tomorrow is only Day 2, which means there is plenty of time to reteach, rehearse and reinforce the rules, routines and procedures of my classroom. That is priority number one, and while it's not the most exciting experience ever, hopefully it will lay the groundwork for a great year.

Comments

GBrosbe said…
Shake it off indeed. I like the Mariah Carey reference, intentional or not. Congrats on starting year 3.

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