Life as a First Grade Teacher

I couldn't imagine my current job still at Sports Authority.. As hectic as my life as a teacher is, I absolutely love it. My first week was extremely hard. I was overwhelmed with what I was supposed to be doing and my classroom management skills were thrown out the window! I know how to control and handle a class but my instincts had just left my room. I broke down one day during my prep period and I knew I needed to change something. My desk looked like this->

How did I let it go? How could I become so unorganized? Well, that didn't change. But towards the end of my 2nd week and the beginning of my 3rd, help arrived! Now, I am very bad at asking for help. I blame my mother for that trait :) I like to do things on my own and if I am struggling I just find a way. I don't ask for help hardly ever. But then again I am used to being at a job where I know pretty much everything and if I didn't know something it would be a simple question where I knew what answer to expect. In my new job as a teacher of 21 kiddos.. it wasn't that simple. My students were tested and their benchmarks came in for their reading levels. Later that day, our intevention teacher came in and said I was wanted in the principals office. I immediately was worried and she reassured me that I was not in trouble and just needed to talk to him.

Of course, he is an awesome guy who lost the piece of paper he was going to show me as soon as I walked to the office.. with a sucker in his mouth he went shouting through the office saying, "Where is that piece of paper?! Where is it??" to himself because obviously he misplaced it and no one else had. Once I sat down he showed me what I already knew.. I had a very low group of kids to start my first year of teaching. He assured me this was not because of me (how could it be? I just got there!!) and that I would be getting one of the kindergarten aides in my room for help and the intervention teacher as well! I was thrilled and super excited! Lynn, our intervention teacher, has been a teacher for many many years and is amazing and Krystin, the kindergarten aide, is becoming one of my favorite people each day! She has the sarcastic relief I need with these first graders and the sterness of a mother (her daughter is in the other first grade class) and any help with managing these squirmy little ones would be very grateful!

Once they entered my classroom I could breathe again. Lynn helped me build a few solid lessons I could work off of to continue throughout the year and she is even model teaching the first Science Unit so I can observe how this school is expected to deliver the lessons. Last week was amazing and having other adults in the room keeps me sane. They aren't always in there as they need to leave throughout the day but they are quickly becoming close friends to me. Lynn will only be in my room another week but her help has given me more confidence and more guidance that I could ever have imagined having at this point.

I wake up for work around 5:15 and leave the house anywhere between 6:15-6:30 to get to work before or by 7am. School doesn't start until 8am but I like to have the time in the morning to prepare copies and anything for the day. I had just been planning day by day but have some if not most of next week planned out.. it's exhausting and I have a long way to go. I work when I get home around 4:30 each day and even spent a few hours this morning working before starting to watch football but it is needed. I don't know any teacher who does not work once they leave the school! I have my awesome planner that keeps me organized and helps me plan my week out.. I don't know what I would do without it and my sharp pencil each day!

Bedtime isn't a struggle anymore... 8:30pm rolls around and I'm ready to lay down and start snoring!

I wouldn't trade it for anything though...especially with my supportive husband home with me at night and on the weekends!