First Day of School

Good morning to you
Good morning to you
We're all in our places
With sunshiny faces
Good morning to you
Good morning to you

When I looked at my watch it said 4:00 AM. Even though I had set the alarm for 4:30 I'm awake early. It is first day of school jitters. So here I am. It's 5:30 now, I'm awake, showered and dressed, and ready to go to school. My supplies are ready. The thank you note to my cooperating teacher (CT) is written. Having done all of that, I have an hour to kill before I need to get out the door to drive over to the same school I've done all my previous teaching experiences.

When I get there, I'll have about 20 new faces and names to learn. Lots of things to see. Old friends to get back in touch with. I need to take down the names of all the kids so that I'll know them well. The instructions for our behavior today were, observe but if you can help your CT do so. Don't be needy because she has 20 children to take care of. I think I can do that.

The day's instructions don't fit with the way I'd imagined my first day of student teaching. I'd thought it would be later in the semester. I'd bring my "Me" poster. I'd bring a book to read to the children, a photo of my cat, maybe my guitar. Nope, I'm going to be nice, polite, and observant of how my CT's classroom is set up. I'm going to see if she uses music in it. Does she have the kids getting up and doing physical activities in the classroom. What does recess with her class look like?

That doesn't mean I can't dream of things I'd like to do. I'm to be putting together lesson plans. First I need to look at the curriculum requirements to see what's needed. Then, I can see about fitting my ideas into that framework. I'd like to teach the kids how to draw a maze/labyrinth. I'd like to teach them how to work sudoku. I'd like to practice skip counting lots. In my experiences as a middle school aid I saw way too many 8th graders stacking numbers and adding them in pairs to reach a multiplication solution. A philosophy I'd like to teach them is that to master something you have to practice every day and working hard only on test day isn't going to get the job done.

It's almost time to think about leaving. I've gotten my medications down. Drunk two cups of coffee and had a jello fruit cup for breakfast. Not the best of meals but it was something and I'm determined to lose the weight I gained over the summer. Yesterday I had to buy a size 16 pair of pants to have something professional to wear for the first day of school. All my interview suits are size 14. Time to lose the weight.

And while I'm talking about yesterday I want to thank my good friends JS and her wife. On a fairly busy family Sunday they shared JS's time for my emotional neediness. She went shopping with me while I got what I could of my school supplies. I also had a nice lunch with them. (g) That kind of friendship is priceless. I feel a little guilty having taken her away from her family, but the fact that she and her wife were able to do that tells me just how strong and loving their family is. They have so much love that they can turn it outwards to others from the richness that is theirs. Thank you my friends. Nothing could ever replace the things you are to me and your presence in my life. God Bless both of you.