I write my very first post here as I prepare for the 100th Day of School at Cary Elementary. I cannot believe that the year is already past the halfway point! My first year as a teacher has had its highs, lows, and everything in between. I've laughed, I've cried. I've never craved sleep as much as I do these days. It's exhausting, exhilarating, and no two days are alike.
As a first grade teacher, I have had so many wonderful experiences already. I joined a fabulous staff that has embraced the Professional Learning Communities mindset, and joined a team that gets along extremely well. My students are energetic, enthusiastic, and most of all eager to learn anything and everything. I am truly lucky to get to work there everyday.
Not that it's been easy. I've had some major behavior issues in my room. I have had parents who don't come to conferences, don't respond to phone calls, and don't help their children with their homework. I've experienced what we teachers refer to as "the full moon effect," when the children simply cannot sit still. I've caught more colds than I dare count. I take home so much work I've resorted to a rolling crate to tote it all. I haven't seen 10pm since August. There are days that I come home and fall asleep after dinner. I buy more for my classroom than for my brand new apartment.
But there are those little moments that make everything worth it. There are the moments when you see the little light bulb go on, and your heart skips a beat. Like when "Bobby" finally starts using spacing in his writing, or when "Becky" finally starts to "count on" for math. It's moments like those that make all the craziness, all the early mornings, and endless piles of paperwork worth it. Some days I feel as if I do crowd control more than anything else, but the teaching does happen. My kids are growing and progressing and achieving. I'm growing and progressing right along with them. It's amazing to see how far we've all come.
Blog posted by February writer Nichole Emond, 1st grade teacher at Cary Elementary in Cary, NC.
As a first grade teacher, I have had so many wonderful experiences already. I joined a fabulous staff that has embraced the Professional Learning Communities mindset, and joined a team that gets along extremely well. My students are energetic, enthusiastic, and most of all eager to learn anything and everything. I am truly lucky to get to work there everyday.
Not that it's been easy. I've had some major behavior issues in my room. I have had parents who don't come to conferences, don't respond to phone calls, and don't help their children with their homework. I've experienced what we teachers refer to as "the full moon effect," when the children simply cannot sit still. I've caught more colds than I dare count. I take home so much work I've resorted to a rolling crate to tote it all. I haven't seen 10pm since August. There are days that I come home and fall asleep after dinner. I buy more for my classroom than for my brand new apartment.
But there are those little moments that make everything worth it. There are the moments when you see the little light bulb go on, and your heart skips a beat. Like when "Bobby" finally starts using spacing in his writing, or when "Becky" finally starts to "count on" for math. It's moments like those that make all the craziness, all the early mornings, and endless piles of paperwork worth it. Some days I feel as if I do crowd control more than anything else, but the teaching does happen. My kids are growing and progressing and achieving. I'm growing and progressing right along with them. It's amazing to see how far we've all come.
Blog posted by February writer Nichole Emond, 1st grade teacher at Cary Elementary in Cary, NC.
