First day, again!

The first day back after any holiday is always horrible but going back to teaching after a good month’s vacation is terrifying, not to mention the month we had of exams and the wind down to the holidays. 

I have only been a teacher for 6 months and a lot of that has been desk warming or exam prep. I’d say if you averaged out all the exam times, sports days and random school events that a teacher probably teachers for about 17 hours a week which isn’t a lot if you are new to a job.

I am currently waiting for my first class of the second semester and I am too nervous for words. Luckily they are a kind and lovely 1^st grade class (to ease me in) but fingers crossed I haven’t forgotten all my skills over the summer, even if it feels that way. 

Hopefully its like riding a bike.

After lesson

Okay so the rumors are true. Its hard to get back into teaching. Not as hard as it was initally but still like opening night of a play.

Coming back from the summer also means that your lovely middle schoolers will have hit puberty like a brick wall and personally blame you for everything wrong in their lives. I can't blame them too much as I distinctly remember doing the exact same at the end of every summer but being the teacher on the other side is definitly a wake up call. 

 My cute first graders have disappeared! Instead I have a bunch of angry teens.

I haven't had thrid grade yet who are normally the worse offenders but i'm hoping they will have matured and become young adults. I fear this may be a wish too far for even an all powerful wizard. 

No one can fix teenagers after all. 

 It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be though. They were more chatty than evil. I played the authoritive teacher for the first lesson and set my ground rules. Fingers crossed this first day intimidation will set them up to be better behaved the rest of the year or at least that’s what I have read.

The teaching came back to me instantly but unfortunatly there was a definite lack of skills I originally posessed to come back to me in the first place. Teaching is organic and nothing like any profession I’ve ever had. It changes every day. There doesn’t seem a right or wrong way to do things but just guide lines so I’m making my mark on the classes slowly and trying to help the students as much as possible.

I just hope that these 6 months will teach me even more than the last 6 have, which would be a hell of a lot.

Ahh well, one day done, 87 to go.

Welcome back to school everyone.