Gasp!!

Oh no!! I hate to admit it, but I have almost completely forgotten about this blog. Then today I was blog stalking and I found a link to my old university's FACS student association blog. And right there at the top of that blog--a link here! I was overcome with guilt. I'm a bad teacher!! I will change!!

A fast update: I looked and the last time I posted was Sept 2009. It is now January 2010. I started my 3rd quarter this last week which means I have my third round of students. It's getting easier and harder at the same time. I'm trying to spend less time at school, I felt like it was overcoming my life. Sometimes I wonder if it SHOULD be overcoming my life--I mean, that's what first year teachers do, right? Organization and diligence have never been my strong points. In fact, I'm downright terrible at them. What it takes people an hour to do, it takes me three....days. Because I get distracted easily. Once I get into a task, I do it and I do it well--it's just that sometimes it is very hard for me to get into sitting and writing down lessons. Sigh.

Since it is 12:30 and I'd like to go to bed, but I'd like to write something useful first, I'm going to sum up my top 10 lessons on my first semester. And I'm going to make them up on the spot. Which means I might end up with only eight. And I might change them later.

10. Turn your desk so that it faces the classroom. This is a no-brainer, but when I got to my classroom my desk was facing the back wall. I could see no solution, because there isn't really a good way to put it anywhere else, so I let it be for a semester. I finally moved it last Monday (blocking a whole set of cabinets in the process), and it has been the best thing ever! I'm so happy!
9. Make a list of the ridiculous things your students do. Right now my favorite is when a 6th grader wrote on his paper that he needed "phabric by next monday".
8. Be prepared every day. You never know when the principal will randomly show up in your classroom.
7. It's ok to make mistakes. Just don't do it the next quarter.
6. I have made a "The Teacher's magic idea board" that I keep in my desk. I write down all my brilliant ideas that I have during the day, so that I can incorporate them into lessons later.
5. Don't let school take over your life. Yes, you're a first year teacher. Yes, you want to feel like you're perfect like the Spanish teacher down the hall. But honey, she's been teaching for 20 years and has tons of experience. You don't. Even if you spent every waking minute at school, you won't be as good as her this year. Take time for yourself to rejuvenate from school. Even if that means reading crappy romance novels. But not like I know anyone who does that.....
4. Make friends. You have to have more people to talk to than your students.
3. Bribe your students to do your dishes for you. That's the nice part about being a home ec teacher. You always have cookies somewhere. And you always have dishes. And you always have students. Easy answer: Save yourself the calories--give the cookies to 7th graders and have them do the dishes for you.
2. DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY WITH THINGS. I've had so many kids walk all over me last semester--I let them get away with so many things. Terrible, I know! I finally made a "consequences" poster in my classroom and have a decent discipline plan. So far we're 4 days into having new kids and things are ok. I'll let you know in three weeks how it goes.

And lastly:
1. It is not your student's opinion of you that matters. I was TERRIFIED of that before I student taught. I was so afraid that my students would say "man, this is the lamest lesson ever." And then, they actually said that. And they still say that. And I don't actually care. Ok, that's a lie--I do care. I want them to like me and I want them to like my topic--but if they don't, it doesn't mean I'm a bad teacher. Not everyone will like me and not everyone will do their homework. Just move on and do your best.

Happy new years and happy new semester! And happy student teaching to all my old buddies!
~The teacher