Last year was awesome. I LOVED departmentalizing, and we had an awesome group of kids.
I continued to use Math Workshop last year with great success. I paired it with my own version of Spiral Math Homework and was so pleased with how much my kids learned. I even had the opportunity to share the way I do Math Workshop with other teachers by teaching a class on our district's in service day. It was an amazing and affirming experience for sure.
I am two days into the new school year and boy, am I TIRED! My summer was so wonderful and relaxing that I think my body forgot what it was like to work long hours at full speed. It's been a great two days. I only had 17 kids (don't throw things!) show up so I have absolutely nothing to complain about! :) This is a great group of kids and I am just SO psyched to see what we can accomplish with such small class sizes.
This year, we have changed up the way we are departmentalized, so I will be teaching math, science, and half of writing (2 of the 4 modes). I'll go back and forth between teaching science and writing units, and teach math every day. I am so SO sad to not be teaching social studies. I love 5th grade social studies- especially the Revolution. My kids get so into it and it's just so much fun to teach. I am excited to start our new science curriculum, though! Our district has adopted Discovery this year, which is a completely online resource. I had the opportunity to teach from it at the end of last year, and I can't wait to get the kids on laptops and interacting with all that is available to them.
Being a third year teacher is the best thing ever. This is the first year that I did not feel anxious on Meet the Teacher night OR the first day of school. I knew what to expect and only felt excited! It's a good thing I feel so on top of everything, because I've also just started my first semester of grad school and am on my way to getting my master's in School Administration. Eek! It will be interesting figuring out how to balance everything, to say the least. Anyway, this is the first year that I have even had time to THINK about decorating my door for Meet the Teacher. Usually, I am running around like a crazy person right up until the first kid shows up. I wish I had more pictures to fill this blog entry with, but I'll just leave you with this one!
I think that is a great idea... giving the children great inspiration.
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