First Day of First Grade

In the words of Billy Madison "I got my bag all packed, my boots tied tight......back to school!"

I haven't been able to start my posts for my student teaching blog prior to now because I didn't have internet hooked up until Thursday! Now, I am hoping to post more frequently on my student teaching experiences :)

I am in a 1st grade classroom with a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Hoffman, who has been teaching elementary grades for 32 years. She really walks me through things and keeps me in check with the process of planning, preparing, and executing lessons. We have worked out the calendar for the semester and by November I should be leading the class solo every school day. I am required to lead the class for at least two weeks out of the semester on my own. Mrs. Hoffman will be in and out of the room throughout the day, but she really wants me to get the feel of being in total control of the lesson and the activities while managing the classroom.

There are 24 kids in our class and they are a hoot! I can't tell you how exciting it was watching them walk into 1st grade on that first day of school. To them, the step between kindergarten and first grade is enormous! They are officially big kids now and they know it. The most difficult part of the transition is really getting the student back into a routine after being off for summer break. By 3:00 each day they are beat (and so am I!).