Class rules!

Hello, all!! Thank you, everyone for your amazing amounts of support the last couple of days! Hello to new readers and followers!!

image via weheartit

Today at school was trying. As was yesterday. Kids are pushing it to the limit each and every day, and more and more I hear the famous "YOU aren't even my real teacher, so I DON'T have to listen to you." It's one of the most frustrating things to hear from a student, and there is almost no way to combat it, other than to tell them they are being disrespectful. One student asked when Christmas break was today, I replied "December 17th." She said: "Is that when you're leaving?" and I nodded my head. She said: "YESSSS!!" It kinda hurt my feelings a little.

After my class on Tuesday night at UC, I have had a lot of great ideas. I have a meeting planned with my principal next week, just to get to know her a little, and I also am planning to go to the homecoming game on Saturday night to make myself visible outside of class, and to introduce Nick to some of the kids. It will be nice for them to see me outside of class.

Also, one of the girls in my cohort spoke about her "three battles" that she has chosen for her class. These are a set of three rules that she absolutely does not bend on. I think this is a great idea, and I plan to implement it in my classroom. I think that after school tomorrow, I am going to change the room around so that it's like a brand new place when the kids come to school on Monday. I plan to put these rules in place, and hopefully see a change in behavior. The two I have chosen so far are:

• No eating. (The kids have been allowed since day one to eat in the classroom. Holly keeps a microwave and small fridge in her room, and they completely take advantage of this. It causes SOMUCH disruption.)
• No standing, walking, getting up AT ALL unless you have permission. (The kids pretty much do whatever they want, because there is little structure in our room. This is one of the MOST disruptive things.)
• I haven't figured out the third thing yet. Do you all have any suggestions/opinions?

I just have to keep reminding myself that it won't be like this forever. I am ready to be a "real" teacher with a license and a classroom and a salary. I cannot wait. 

Tomorrow we have a pep rally, and Holly volunteered herself to stay behind with the kids in the school who are not allowed to attend. This means that I have to take fourth bell (our worst bunch) to the assembly on my own. I am TERRIFIED. Please cross your fingers that this goes okay. I really, really hope it does. 

On a more positive note, my advanced kids turned in SOMANY of those Catcher in the Rye literary analysis papers today! Most of the ones I got were rushed and not very good, but they still have a chance to revise. I am a happy teacher! [for that bell...]

Check back later tonight to see Morgan's first Bloggin' Ladies feature for Blackbird Fly!! I am excited to post this one :) 

Thanks, again, everyone for stopping by! Gonna kick back with my little Chihuahua son for a bit! 

Tuesday!

I wish my classroom looked like this. :)

Today was a bit like pulling teeth with my students. After a long, three day weekend, they were still hibernating and not so ready to do the Daily Oral Language Lesson that I had so thoughtfully planned for them at the end of last week. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better because I am assigning their term research paper – the advanced kids get to write about a coming-of-age tradition or ritual of their choice (from a list that I have provided, naturally) and the other kids get to choose the career that they are most interested in and research it. These should make for some very interesting reads in a few weeks!!

I also finalized the literary analysis assignment that all of the kids will be getting at the end of September, and I am really excited to read what they have to say, even though I am sure that they won’t be as excited to write it. ;)

Tonight, my little Guillermo has to be taken to the vet to get neutered. Nick and I are really nervous, even though we know that many, many dogs have this operation every day, and that he will be just fine. We are mostly sad that he is going to be so scared in a cage overnight without his mommy and daddy. Since dogs, like most humans, cannot eat for a certain amount of time before surgery, he has to be taken in tonight instead for his surgery in the morning. I understand the reasoning behind this, but still am really nervous to leave him there! At least, we know we are lucky that this surgery is less invasive for a boy, and that makes us both feel so much better. Hopefully, having his baby blanket that he’s had since the very day we brought him home will make HIM feel better!!

I think we are both just so worried because he is our first baby (Chihuahua). ;) Send him good thoughts and prayers!! That being said, before we drop him off at the vet tonight, we are taking him to PetSmart to get a little treat. He is definitely spoiled! Needless to say, I might be more than a little distracted at work tonight!

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!