First and foremost, Dr. Funke is doing great. To the left is a picture of him balancing on an exercise ball. I am balancing the ball, but let's see any of you do that. By any of you, I mean anyone that may still be checking this after some three months of inactivity. The year has been great. I love being a sort-of-new teacher. I'm no longer surprised or interested in school politics, but I still love being in the classroom and have a fire beneath me. Some things will be easier next year, TPNB.
We started the year with only 17 kids and it was great! Looping (keeping the same kids) has been wonderful. I knew them, they knew me, we got right to business. There were only 17 kids in each 2nd grade and about 30 in each Kindergarten so The Principal asked one of the second grade teachers to switch to K, (three weeks ago!) and I absorbed six new kids.
The six new kids are great, but they are not trained like the original seventeen. I swear, Mrs. R taught them to speak over me. They have no independent problem solving skills, and they still call me "Teacher." If they can't learn my name how can they learn to add while trading ones for tens? A skill that the Others are not picking up as fast as the originals. What had they been doing during Math every day? Obviously not looking ahead. Did she just think she could teach the rules and not the reasons? I still can't believe what awful foundations she's given them. How can I catch them up without dragging the originals down? Ah. Each day is a little better than the one before, though, and really that's all I can ask.
And moving from first grade to second grade? Fabulous. Second graders are perfect. They worship me and I relish it.
Some resolutions are being met. My window has been decorated each of the past three months. We've had personalized spelling lists each week. The original kids have almost all started a chapter book or two, but I'm still having trouble getting the Others to read independently. I guess that rambling paragraph above counts as reflection on math?
All in all the year's going well. I love my kids.
