1 Day Down...

So I got through my 2nd first day of school as a teacher!  It felt so much easier this year.  What a difference it makes after finishing a year of teaching.  I have to say that it really helped being with the girls for 4 weeks over the summer as well.  I didn't have to do all the get to know you stuff but instead I jumped into my expectations and such that I put on my syllabus.  Yes, I made a syllabus for my middle school kids.  This was actually a great idea and I'm having them keep it in a binder that will have their tests and graded work so I can refer to it all year if needed.  

My class sizes are so small this year.  I have 11 6th graders (only 9 have showed up so far and we might lose one more), 12 7th graders (who are my homeroom girls and are awesome!), and 15 8th graders.  Luckily, in the 7th and 8th grade classes the kids that caused the major issues in those classes have moved on to other places.  This leaves us with classes that are very cohesive groups that are doing fairly well.  8th is still in the distracted and talkative mood that they were last year, but me and my colleagues are really trying to nip that in the bud.  7th grade is just kicking butt.  The only issue I had was them talking to each other too much about the topic I was trying to discuss with them during homeroom.  So at least they were on topic, they just wouldn't let me talk, but that got better towards the end.  They are the class that is following the rules the most and really standing out as role models for others.  I got really lucky with the homeroom choice.  6th is really struggling.  We have some students in that class that are just immature, and rightfully so.  It's going to be a task to try to mature them into middle school students that are responsible for their own actions.  

One of my goals this year is to keep in contact with parents more.  I decided to send home a Parent Contact and Info Sheet asking parents to tell me the best way to contact them and also some questions about the student's work at home.  I included questions about if they have a quiet space, if the parent has a chance to help the student, and how long they see the student doing work at home.  I wanted to get the parent's perspective on their student's work ethic at home so I can better understand how to help the student in school.  

So here starts my year of adjustments, learning and teaching!