Still mostly alive!!!

Hi!

I feel like I should be introducing myself - I've been deep in the pit of new teacherhood. It's a deep, long, all-encompassing hole, and I hope to graduate to the less encompassing pothole of confident, established teacherhood shortly. I won't go on and on and on about school (well I'll try not to!) but a few highlights:

• I have just survived my first parent-teacher information evening. That's the one they have at the start of the year so that parents can come and learn more about the classroom routine, homework expectations, extra-curriculars, units we're studying, upcoming camps (yay!), and the school in general. That's the official reason. The real purpose is for parents to come and suss you out (especially if you're new - I was like a celebrity), then grill you, try to intimidate you, ask ridiculous questions, question your ability, and for the lady in the third row with the purple shirt to try to melt through you with her eyes (never figured out who's mum she was! - this could be a problem later on... :S). Then at the end all the cute concerned parents come and talk to you about their kids (and I adore my class so I was happy to!) and offer to come and help out with reading rotations - great!
• Today after lunch when they were coming into class, one of the kids absolutely slammed one of the other kids from behind at he sat at his desk! It was huge! I almost burst out laughing, but it was not funny. Poor boys! The 'slam-mer' was furious as he stood there in rage, chest heaving, eyes boring into the back of the 'slam-ee' muttering threats under his breathe (his glare was not even in the same league though, as the woman in the third row tonight..)(there was some hurtful name-calling at lunch and as they lined up to come in), and the 'slam-ee' was distraught - from physical as well as emotional upset. It's a call to the deputy and parents etc. when there's physical stuff that goes on so that all happened, but it was okay in the end. Grade six is a bit of a hormonal age, but the boys are waaay worse than the girls right now, surprisingly - with 'he said' 'she said' 'not friends' sort of stuff. (Apparently by the end of the year the boys will be more settled and the girls will be catty...)
• I'm the girls' basketball coach (yay! :))
• I'm a panel judge for 'Our School's Got Talent!' (hahaha - I'm sort of looking forward to this one too! :))
• I don't have a single morning or afternoon free from meetings this week with someone else to train me about something else - but my brain is full to capacity, because the same thing happened last week, and I haven't had time to process anything, because there's school inbetween, and I have to sort of me teaching during those hours... It sort of almost feels like I live at school a bit...James is afraid I'll burn myself out, but I think I just need to keep to early-late hourse for a few more weeks and I'll have it all a bit more down-pat. I do have an awful lot of extra stuff to do being new to the school as well as Ed QLD, and everyone I meet has got something else to tell me about or train me on which I never even knew existed! (sigh)...
• I love my class! My girls are all angels in behaviour except for one who is a bit crazy but okay. My boys all have MASSIVE personalities and vie for stage time.
• So far... 3 boys have been moved away from their friends to tables full of girls (their behaviour has been excellent since :) - I told them I might even let them sit back with their friends if it continues this way for ... oh... a few weeks or so - but they double check if it's been long enough every single day, and I do admire how hard they are trying! 2 boys have been sent to the deputy principale (well, the deputy sent to them - that was my boy being taken out today...). And 2 boys have received warnings (it's only the first step on the school behaviour plan... and one of them was bumped off it again for good behaviour :))
• They're great! We all get along really well and they forgive me for having to make them do actual work! Even if sometimes it's boring :) We're not the most quiet class in the school but we get the work done and mostly enjoy it! Yesterday my partner teacher (1 big classroom, 2 classes) turned around and had to rouse on her class for being too loud and it's hilarious how happy I was that for once we were the quiet ones! High fives all around. Every time we go to library the librarian gets them in trouble for every little thing (I'm not being biased - one of her rules is that you're not allowed to tie up your shoelaces in the library! - That's insane, and um, unsafe.), and I get sorta cranky about it, but I can't act like it, because that would be unprofessional (sigh). I wrote a note to self though next time they're about to go to library to remind them of the insane rules and not to make us all look bad, cause they're not! :P
• I really am happy with my class - even my crazy kids. There's background to every single kid I've got who behaves badly, and I just hope I can help them have a better time at school, so that not every part of their life makes them sad.
• It's going to be a fun, maybe a bit draining year :)

Haha I just remembered I said I wouldn't go on about school! :)

I'd better start a new blog entry for other stuff I want to say, or you'll all be bored at hate me! This way if you want to read my blog bit by bit, it'll be easier to find your spot... :)

Happy Days! :) xo