Oops, I Did it Again...

...Then to make matters worse, I reference a Britney Spears song.

Once again, my attempts at blogging have not worked out as planned. I completely forgot about this blog until the other day. I thought it would be interesting to go back and see what I had said at the beginning of the school year now that we've been out for about three weeks. I have to say I was right when I said this would be one of the most challenging years. My seventh graders were the most unique group of kids I've ever worked with. My eighth graders were, well, eighth graders. On top of that, we had the worst winter I can remember. I've lost count of the snow days and two hour delays. Plus, I destroyed the transmission in my car with all the ice and snow. Let's just say, this was a year to remember.
 It wasn't all bad though. The seventh grade team I work with is amazing. They work hard, are very good at what they do and they make me laugh every day. Each one of us struggled at times with all the craziness that this school year brought, but we survived by laughing together. I also have a great Language Arts team to work with. I am so excited for the changes we've made for next year. Maybe I'll keep blogging long enough to write about how those changes turn out.
Speaking of blogging, I had a few ideas of how to do this thing right. I mean, to actually stick with it. I would love to do a daily blog (It's Grace style, Youtube fans). I've come up with a few ideas for the different days, although I'm not sure what they will look like. Here is my rough draft list:
My opinion Mondays: This could either be book reviews or just my opinion on different issues that deal with reading or education.
Terrific/Terrible Tuesdays: This would be a short description of something terrific or terrible that happened the past week.
Whatever Wednesdays: Just what it sounds like. Any random thing that pops in my mind.
To Read Thursdays: A description of a book I can't wait to read.
I have not come up with anything for Friday. I'll work on that.

I might be back tomorrow. If not, I'll write again next year.

3 Weeks Down

  It is Saturday. I've just enjoyed Fair Week by grading, planning, reading, and most importantly, sleeping in. I probably should have written this review of the first three weeks of school right after they happened but I didn't. I'm doing it now--ok?
  To start off, I have to say that I can tell from just three weeks that this year will be a challenging one. I think the students I have this year (7th graders) are the lowest I've ever had. Plus this year I have two 8th grade classes instead of one. Plus we get to do the lovely observations for OTES this year. Plus the million other things that will come up during the year that I haven't even thought of yet. It is going to take some hard work and probably some tears.
   I also have to say,however, I think that these first three weeks were the best start to a school year I've had so far. Things seemed to flow well. Students got involved in quickly. I enjoyed myself. One major reason is that I see a shift in the way teachers are working together. We have an amazing new Intervention Specialist. She is new to the field and she is still learning, but she has already made such a difference in my classroom. It is amazing what can be done when you have an Intervention Specialist that is willing to work. I am excited to see the growth that these kids will make this year.
 I also feel, that after completing seven years of teaching, I sort of know what I am doing. I have a strong foundation and I am able to "wing it" when things don't go according to plan. I also no longer feel that every lesson has to be perfect. I am willing to try new things and move on to something else when those things fail. I realize now that even in failed attempts, we all learn something.
 So now that I've rambled on for awhile, I have to say that this year is the first time I can remember that I don't dread going back after the fair. Of course, that feeling will change Sunday night, I'm sure, but right now, I'm excited for this year. ( I know there were way to many commas in that sentence, but I'm leaving them all right where they are!)

*I didn't edit this.

One Week Down

It is the Sunday after the first week of school. Looking back, I am impressed at the way things have started. Other than some major issues with our new interactive boards, I would say that this has been the smoothest start of the year I've had yet. It feels like things are finally starting to click, and since this is my eighth "beginning of the year," it is about time. It feels like I'm actually teaching, not just pretending.
I'm excited to introduce my seventh graders to many new books and ideas. I talk about reading and they are still too nervous to say "I hate reading" but I can see it in some of their faces. I can't wait until we get past that point and they are reading book after book. I have to remember that it takes a lot of work. At this point they are still sixth graders that struggle to follow directions. Soon, they will be to handle more and more on their own.
 I'm nervous and excited to work with the students I had last year as seventh graders and push them even farther as eighth graders. I've already had a few run ins with students that feel a little too comfortable since they are with me last year. I've got to figure out a way for us to work together. One upside is, I know a lot about them and they know how my classroom runs. (I guess that is 2). Another positive note, Friday was a great day with both of my 8th grade classes.
Overall, it was a great first week. Of course, I can already see a few "issues" that may come up but for now, things are one the right path. Later in the year, I want to look back at this and remember how I felt after the first week.

Thinking Back 1

This past year I had a major change to my schedule. Instead of teaching Reading and Writing, I only taught Reading. That meant I only saw each group of students once a day. I loved it! I had fewer discipline problems and my day seemed a little less stressful. Yes, I had to pick up one 8th grade class again, which was a challenge, but I really like my new schedule.
Another change I made was adding a Reading Workshop day. It is something I really wanted to do but I wasn't sure if I could make it work. Honestly, as I was doing it, I wasn't sure if it was worth all the extra stress. The student groups, the conferences, the mini lessons, I felt like I was always running around. My students still complained that they did not like to read. Starting in January, my workshop schedule was not a consistent and I considered not bothering with it next year. Then, at the end of the year, I realized a few things. 1. Middle school students are always going to say they don't like to things. That is just the way they communicate. 2. Many of my students, no matter what they say, enjoy reading. My proof? For 2 1/2 weeks after the OAA, I could look around my room and see my students reading. I didn't have to remind them to read, I didn't have to tell them to be quiet. All I had to do was say " Find a spot" and I could look around and see kids all over the room (under desks, on bar stools, at their desks). They flew through their Lit. circle books and many, actually most, read a second book during the allotted time. I have NEVER had groups do this during Lit. Circles at the end of the year. Normally I fight to get my students to sit and read.
I will be doing workshop again this year. I will be going through my workshop curriculum guide ( my masters project) and making some adjustments. I just wanted to take this space to remind myself of how excited I was to see my students reading!

Starting Again

My attempts at blogging have never worked. I think it is because I get caught up in to many other things and this is the easiest thing to drop. I've decided to take a new approach. This will be a place of reflection. I want  to document what I've tried and how it has or has not worked. This way I have all my info in one place instead of scribbled on random pieces of paper.
In the next few days or weeks I will try to make some notes on things that  went well and things that didn't last year. I always want to improve. My goal is to write at least once a week when the school year starts.