Hope for a New Year


Today, I feel incredibly hopeful about what the new school year will bring.  Why?  Well, to start with, I had the immense pleasure of chucking 9 (NINE!) desks out of my classroom today.  And they’re not being replaced.  That’s right, folks; I’m told my largest class this year will be a whopping 19 students.  I was, quite literally, jumping up and down as I bid the ninth desk good-bye.  With only 20 desks in my room, there’s so much SPACE.  Group work will be a breeze.  I could have students sit in a circle for discussions.  When my student teacher comes second quarter, there would be room to give her a small desk (if I can scrounge up an extra piece of furniture at the school). 

Beyond the class size issue (which I am excited about, not actually holding my breath on; last year my class sizes grew by 3-5 in the first few days of school), I also feel hopeful about my new classroom set-up (so much more organized and practical than last year), the cleanliness of my room so far (my floor was mopped twice today!), and my own preparation.  Contrary to last year, 2 days before the first day of school, I already have my syllabus, list of required materials, classroom expectations, and a bunch of helpful links uploaded to my class webpage.  With Jenni’s help, I figured out how to hook up my laptop to my classroom projector—which is great for SO MANY reasons.  For example, when I want to show a dvd, I won’t have to track down the school’s external cd drive anymore.  I can use my Smart Notebook software again (I don’t have a smartboard, but that only means I will have to manipulate the screen from the computer, which isn’t a big deal).  And of course, I won’t have to use my USB drive to transfer everything I want to show on the projector to the school computer.  To me, this stuff sounds like complete luxury.  J   

So, even though I don’t have my class lists yet, and I never did get new tiles to replace the ones that came off of my classroom floor last year, I am pretty darn hopeful about what this year will bring.  It’s going to be great! 

My desk area and my "success wall."  I love it!

Look at all the SPACE!!  Also, a change from last year: my shelf is now
at the front of the room, so no one will be sitting right next
 to it and messing with it during class.  

Wisdom of a 2nd year teacher.

Comments

  1. AmandaAugust 7, 2012 at 5:47 PM

    How exciting Sue! Best of luck as the first day of school approaches :)

    ReplyDelete

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