First Grade

In a matter of days, I will be the first grade teacher for a couple dozen 6-year old children. I'm fairly certain that I'm more nervous about this than the little children. What if they don't listen to me? What if they're bored? What if the parents don't like me? How will I possibly do all that planning? The list goes on and on. But I know I am a good teacher and my principal wouldn't have given me this opportunity if she didn't have a high opinion of my abilities. So to save myself from a list of worries, I'm going to share some of the excitement for the upcoming year.

1. I will be working with a fantastic special education teacher. He is dedicated and positive and loves to find creative solutions. Last year he was a brand new teacher and I was his resource for lots of questions throughout the year. I am highly optimistic that we will make a good team. He's already done a nice job of helping me stay sane.

2. I have wonderful first-grade teammates. One of the reasons I expressed interest in first grade over other grades is because the two first-grade teachers have a great relationship. They work together and plan together. They use each other as resources all the time. I can't imagine going through this new challenge without their support. I know that even if the year starts off rough, they won't let me fail.

3. In response to a suggestion for special ed teacher Joe, I will have a theme for my classroom and have decided on a beach/ocean theme. I don't plan on going all out right away, but it's something I can build on throughout the year. I might have an ocean-themed Word Wall and maybe some pictures throughout the room. My friend hosted a painting activity in which I painted a nice sunset over the water. That will be the first object toward my theme. With this theme in mind, I will be one of the following names:
 - Mrs. Matera's Manta Rays
 - Mrs. Matera's Manatees
 - Mrs. Brandenburg's Blowfish
 - Mrs. Brandenburg's Barracudas
 - Mrs. Brandenburg's Belugas

I'm not sure how I feel about calling my students "sea cows" but they're one of my favorite sea animals. Blowfish would be fun because I could have the kids look like blowfish when I want them to be quiet. Belugas would be fun because of the Raffi song. Sorry, Craig, I don't think I can play Heart's "Barracuda" for my first graders.

4. Special ed teacher Joe will also work with 6th grade, and I worked with many of those students last year. I'm hoping that some of them can visit my class to be student readers and do other things to help.

5. I don't have to write any IEPs or lead any IEP meetings. Still, I'll be a good team member at IEP meetings because I haven't completely retired my special ed hat.

6. I get to use a lot of new teaching strategies. I'm excited for math talks and number talks, buddy reading, writing projects, themed units, and academic discussions. I'm thrilled about the idea of watching kids go from non-readers to fluent readers over the course of 10 months!

Kindergarten

My cell phone turned 5 in December of 2012. That means she starts kindergarten soon. I've heard that there are a lot of intelligent phones out there now who might start kindergarten early. My phone is a bit slower and less advanced than her peers. I hope that my phone doesn't let that bother her. She has very good communication skills and has lots of energy. She tends to keep to herself and doesn't play many games. The two of us are on vacation in New York this week. While here we got her a new outfit for her first day of school.