The first six weeks is complete, but there is literally no time to breathe!
I find myself in an odd part of the year. There is something sitting at the back of my mind that I can never seem to reach. Maybe this is just my way of going through that cycle of teaching that everyone keeps telling me about. I must be starting to make the switch from anticipation to survival. I can't tell and no one else has mentioned anything so who can know for sure.
My students did take their first major assessment with me this year and you will have to excuse me while I brag on them for a little bit. I am incredibly proud of their achievements and how much they have learned in this short time. I have a passing rate over 85% with over 20% of my students receiving perfect scores. I know this is pretty good but I certainly want to continue pushing them and pushing myself to do better. We will be working to get to 100% passing and even more getting perfect scores.
Despite these results, I feel as though I am running in circles. It feels like my to-do list never shortens. By the time I get a few items knocked off, there are just as many or more items to replace them. I literally have no idea how teacher's are expected to do so many things in day, week, semester, or year. Despite only being my students' science teacher, I must also teach them how to be polite and respectful of the world around them, and teach them how to track data and set goals, and take them on field trips, and grade their work, and do fire drills/assemblies, and attend meetings in the middle of the day, and (this hasn't happened yet, but I'm sure it will) attend trainings. And these are just the things I have to do with my students but does not include all of the behind the scenes work I have to get done. I do not yet feel overwhelmed, but I can certainly see how any slip up on my part could put me on a slippery slope into chaos and confusion.
It is going to be a great year. I am going to make sure that it is. It is going to be hard, but it needs to happen. This experience is also broadening my appreciation for all of the amazing teachers I have ever had. I knew that teaching was not easy. I knew that teachers had to balance a lot of things. I knew that students (myself included) did not always (read rarely) made things easier. Despite knowing all of those things beforehand, living them is completely different. I have not had the come home and cry kind of day yet, but I know I will. I have not started to question my life choices, and I am hoping to avoid that. I do occasionally find myself in shock that I am a real teacher in a real school with real students. I do occasionally question my ability to be the best (or at least great) for my students.
Things have been moving. I will keep moving with them, just hopefully not in circles.
I find myself in an odd part of the year. There is something sitting at the back of my mind that I can never seem to reach. Maybe this is just my way of going through that cycle of teaching that everyone keeps telling me about. I must be starting to make the switch from anticipation to survival. I can't tell and no one else has mentioned anything so who can know for sure.
My students did take their first major assessment with me this year and you will have to excuse me while I brag on them for a little bit. I am incredibly proud of their achievements and how much they have learned in this short time. I have a passing rate over 85% with over 20% of my students receiving perfect scores. I know this is pretty good but I certainly want to continue pushing them and pushing myself to do better. We will be working to get to 100% passing and even more getting perfect scores.
Despite these results, I feel as though I am running in circles. It feels like my to-do list never shortens. By the time I get a few items knocked off, there are just as many or more items to replace them. I literally have no idea how teacher's are expected to do so many things in day, week, semester, or year. Despite only being my students' science teacher, I must also teach them how to be polite and respectful of the world around them, and teach them how to track data and set goals, and take them on field trips, and grade their work, and do fire drills/assemblies, and attend meetings in the middle of the day, and (this hasn't happened yet, but I'm sure it will) attend trainings. And these are just the things I have to do with my students but does not include all of the behind the scenes work I have to get done. I do not yet feel overwhelmed, but I can certainly see how any slip up on my part could put me on a slippery slope into chaos and confusion.
It is going to be a great year. I am going to make sure that it is. It is going to be hard, but it needs to happen. This experience is also broadening my appreciation for all of the amazing teachers I have ever had. I knew that teaching was not easy. I knew that teachers had to balance a lot of things. I knew that students (myself included) did not always (read rarely) made things easier. Despite knowing all of those things beforehand, living them is completely different. I have not had the come home and cry kind of day yet, but I know I will. I have not started to question my life choices, and I am hoping to avoid that. I do occasionally find myself in shock that I am a real teacher in a real school with real students. I do occasionally question my ability to be the best (or at least great) for my students.
Things have been moving. I will keep moving with them, just hopefully not in circles.
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