First Day of School

I made it through the first day of classes without yelling, losing my mind, or smacking anyone. Pretty good start to the year, I figure. The new 6th graders were mostly okay. I have some sweet kids in my homeroom but also some real characters. The 7th graders didn't mature much over the summer, which is disappointing. And the 8th graders were fine. A lot of kids were absent; some are still abroad, some have changed schools, some just weren't there. Why you would deliberately miss the first day of school is beyond me.

Getting back into the swing of things was difficult. I didn't get a break all day other than lunch, which was exhausting. Tomorrow should be better though because they have now figured out the Arabic classes (I get my prep during Arabic). The bad thing is that happens first thing in the morning, so I don't actually NEED a break then. I also realized that not having block scheduling anymore has totally changed my day. I am not used to seeing ALL the kids in one day, plus 45 minutes goes by REALLY quickly. Not that I'm complaining.

I am modifying my lesson plans a little for tomorrow because I don't think the 7th graders will handle my original activity well, but I think I am pretty ready for the rest of the week. Probably the last time I will be this prepared for the rest of the year!