New School Year

Well, yet again, it's time for a new school year. The cicadas are winding down and reminding me it is the end of summer. I have had time to relax, rejuvenate and pray I am ready for the challenges the new school year brings. After 16 years of teaching, I thought it might be fun to shake things up a bit by blogging the experiences in our first grade classroom. It's always more fun to share the joys and discoveries. I hope you will join me and share your experiences too.

The tasks of  this week are seriously monumental; meeting and greeting the new families with hopeful faces and getting in the 1st two days of school.  Each family needs to be assured their child will be valued, heard and honored in our classroom. My job is to make that happen. Each family has written me a letter to tell me about their child. This helps me on so many different levels. From matching children to special book interests or simply making sure we have the unique snack request on hand. The more upfront information parents can give me, the more prepared I am to initiate that bond between students and teachers that is essential to learning to read and write.

As teachers, we work so hard to make our classrooms the 'home away from home' for our students. We want an inviting experience that says, "This is where I belong." When I look around my room, my walls are bare except for the signs that say, "Waiting for the Splendid Work of Your Child."  Brightly colored planters are loaded in the windowsills. The seven read alouds for each day are already picked for the first week of school. This is my favorite part! From First Day Jitters  by Julie Dannenberg to Bootsie Barker Bites by Barbara Botner, it's fun to pick the books that will set the tone for our year. I've taken some time revisit the important routines that need to be in place for the children to take charge of their learning. The sooner these routines and transitions are in place, the sooner I can get out of their way and let them shine. I have notes to remind me to hold down the teacher talk and remember to let them share often.

This is an adventure. After 15 years, parts feel the same but the anticipation is always special.