With surprising ease, I fell asleep last night, regardless of the butterflies in my stomach and worries about what the first day of school would bring. And, even more surprising, the worry never really hit - I just entered the day full speed ahead, and I never looked back.
I should have known it was going to be a great day when Anthony (one of my students from last year) pretty much tackled me in excitement right inside the gate during my morning duty...
On the whole, I believe we in the fourth grade class had a pretty great first day. We unloaded supplies, participated in various get to know you activities (independent and with the whole class), started reading "The Tale of Despereaux" out loud (I love doing the voices!), read "Butterflies in my Stomach and Other First Day Hazards" (a book of idioms - fantastic!), celebrated Mass, did a bulletin board activity, etc. And everyone was still smiling and thumbs up at the end of the day. They call this the "honeymoon phase" of the school year, and rightly so, but I hope we can make it last. With 25 students today, the quiet while working and listening to group discussions/read alouds was welcomed! I love them, it's official.
And kudos to our new ACE teachers - yay Molly and Dan - who rocked today! I heard nothing but good things as my students from last year greeted me on their way out of school. Woo hoo! Those students deserve the best, really. And it's still hard for me to remember they aren't mine, per se, any more.
After school, I stayed until right before 5, getting the classroom together for tomorrow and talking to Molly, Sr. Ignacia, etc. Looks like I'm going to be an official mentor teacher - we'll see how that pans out...
Traffic wasn't too bad on the way home - took me about 50 minutes (parking lot to door of my house) to get back. I cooked dinner for my housemates tonight - breaded chicken (using lots of garlic powder and seasoned bread crumbs) with canned diced tomatoes (with garlic and olive oil already included) and whole wheat pasta. To top it off, I cut up some cucumber and tomato and put it in olive oil. I believe I will take leftovers for lunch tomorrow...
Tomorrow we get out at 1:30 and NO faculty meeting (yeah!), so I am going to go by the library to swap out books on cd and then hit the gym - thank goodness my membership lasts for 2 more years!
I think it's bedtime for Bonzo. I need to bring my A-game tomorrow - these students are up for a challenge!
Oh! And just one more quick thing - awesome religion resource collection of saint stories for kids (Loyola Press): http://www.loyolapress.com/saints-stories-for-kids.htm
Check it out!
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