today i went to the teacher store to pick up some items for my classroom. i am finally hired by the DOE (department of education), so i had a stipend to spend on decorations and supplies for my room. i have a little bit of money left over too (yay!) so i can go back and get a couple more things.
im starting to get excited about this upcoming year, finally. even with all the professional development sessions ive been to, i havent been very motivated to get going on school stuff. getting things for my classroom has helped (although im on here typing an entry instead of starting to look at unit plans…) i think overall its going to be a better year. this will be my third year teaching. i have a better handle on what types of things i want to teach for each grade, how to set up my room effectively, how to get more student involvement and classroom management techniques. thats my weakest aspect of teaching and arguably the hardest.
i teach pre-k through 5th grade general music, beginner orchestra for 4th and 5th grades and a select choir (this year limited to 5th grade only). it’s a heavy load. i have a lot of students, a lot of lesson planning and planning for specific age groups and a large focus on my ensembles. it’s not easy. i guess ive been a little hesitant this year because of the baby and everything. ive definitely been more focused on the baby and setting up for him instead of getting ready for the year. hopefully when i go into school on tuesday, i can get the preliminary class lists so i can start setting up my grade book, seating charts and other classroom organization that i need.
i need to sit and focus on one thing at a time. i started with kindergarten, but i think im going to go back and start with 5th grade and work my way backwards. it seems better this way for me…focus on the “harder” stuff first and work my way backwards. i have a hard time with 5th grade, especially the 2nd half of the year. they get very talkative and sassy, which i cant stand. even the well behaved kids start acting up…i dont know how middle school teachers in these inner city schools do it! kudos to them.
i am excited about my mini theme in my classroom. i want my spring concert to be “at the movies” so i found a movie kit! its supposed to be for a bulletin board, but im going to use it around my room. im using it for my rewards center, anyone who is improving (specifically my trouble students who need extra shout outs), what each grade is working on/homework and just star players in the classroom. i also picked up a TON of stickers to hand out during class and for orchestra. im heading into the office tomorrow to laminate everything, make copies of things i need copies of and pick out all of my music for the year. well…my goal is to pick out all the music i want to use throughout the year. not sure if ill find everything i want, but im going to work towards it. i need to pick out all of my music for my winter concert anyway. i want to try to get it all done as soon as possible so once the baby is here, i have all of my music ready to go and can plan out my spring units while on maternity leave.
sigh i cant believe summer is over and another school year is about to begin. im about to be a mom and im starting my first year teaching with the DOE. hopefully, i have only a few years left at this school and i can move to a better school soon…one closer to my home and with better behaved kids…a school where administration cares a little more about the students and a little less about the statistics. its sad, but thats whats going on in education, especially here in the city schools. the kids are stats to improve the schools standing and keep the principal in their job. sigh oh well.
alright, i better get going on those unit plans. later all!
~mana~
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