I Survived!

I waited all week to say this... I survived my first week of teaching! All the time spent in school and trainings finally came to fruition this past week. People always say that the first week of school is so tiring for teachers. Let me just tell you. Those people are right. I went home everyday so tired, and found myself in bed by 9 at the latest.

I said that I survived, but I really think that I did more than just survive. My feeling toward the week was that I did pretty well. There were definitely moments during the week where I felt like my head was spinning from all the information and things I had to do, but I think (and hope) that most teachers feel that way during the first week. The week was just filled with so many things. The first two days without rotating went by so quickly, but in that time I got to know my homeroom kiddos pretty well. I already know all their names, and I kept asking them silly questions like, "What's your favorite sport?" I love asking them questions, and getting their answers, and I love telling them about myself. It's so important to build those relationships with those kids if you expect them to learn anything from you during the year. Personally, those relationships are my favorite part of being a teacher. I made it a point this week to get to know each of my students, and I would say that I did a decent job of achieving that. I'm pretty sure I know every kids name in the 4th grade (I'm pretty proud of that...). 

Wednesday we starting rotating for the first time. The last three days of the week really went by fast. I only have an hour for each rotation, and that time just flies by. There was one rotation that I wasn't ready for. We thought that there was only going to be like six third graders coming to 4th grade math. Well it came time for them to come to class, and it turns out there were eleven of them. I didn't even have enough seats for everyone to sit down. I was definitely thrown for a second, but I had to deal with it and run the class as if nothing was wrong. The plan for that class went out the window, and I changed the class into a "get to know you" day. There were 30 kids in there, and by the end I knew all of their names, favorite sports, and animal. 

Other than massive influx of third graders, the rotation days went pretty smooth. Most of my students seem excited to come into math class, and I love working with them and joking around with them. My goal is for them to be excited everyday to come to class. If anything, I want them to be excited to see me. I know a lot of kids don't love math like I do, but if they love me maybe they'll learn to love math too. 

Overall, I think the week was a total success. Although there was a lot going on, I felt natural being the teacher, and I wasn't too overwhelmed at any point. I think the big part for me is going to be planning and making sure that I'm prepared for whatever happens each week. It was a week that I will never forget, and I'm so excited to see where this year takes me! Another huge thing was how awesome my 4th grade team is. They really are amazing teachers and were such a huge help in keeping me calm. They were always checking on me, and I really feel like they care about me. I'm still just trying not to let them down, and work to be a viable part of the team. But I'm so excited that I get to work with these three ladies because they seriously rock!

On a side note... I live close to the school. In this first week, I saw four of my students out in public. It was funny to see them freak out when they see Mr. Mouton not in school. At least they were excited to see me!