Week 18: What happens with the sub, stays with the sub…
I’m coming back after some time off for a conferences. That combined with time off for an illness earlier in the month, and my kids have had more sub time than I would have liked. I’ve been fortunate to have some really good subs in the classroom (2 regulars), so I’m following the rule of letting them do what they do, and be grateful for it.
Photo credit: audio tour number 18 by Leo Reynolds, on Flickr
Week 19: New Horizons
I’m trying to get back in a routine after being out of the classroom due to union business. In addition, I have gotten a student teacher in my classroom, so I’m trying to introduce and incorporate her into our classroom routines.
I’ll start with the bad and the ugly. There is a point you hit around January or February when the kids can lose it. Maybe they realize they’re only half-way through the year (or there-abouts), maybe with fifth graders they’re hitting some emotional intersection they’re having a a hard time negotiating, maybe this winter the weather has been too nice, and maybe I’ve been out of the classroom too much? Whatever the reason my class did not start the week well. It wasn’t just my class, but the entire school. It was frankly, a little embarrassing to introduce the student teacher to my class the way it was on Monday, and even Tuesday. On the other hand, having a new teacher in the room is a great excuse to review the rules and procedures.
Enough of the griping….What was good about this week? Well they settled down largely by Thursday