Last Friday, I packed up my room and closed the door on my first year as a 4th grade teacher. I'd like to share with you all some thoughts, memories and pictures to recap my experiences, since I definitely slacked on this during the year!
My year was great. I really couldn't have asked for a better first year of teaching. Great kids, great parents, great coworkers, great principals, and great school! I realize, after looking back and talking to other teachers, that I was pretty spoiled this year! The students are bright, cooperative, and don't have issues with attendance or behavior. Many first-year teachers get scared away with numerous problems, but I seemed to escape with next to none! I had tons of support from other teachers and our great administration. I could go on and on about my year, but I'll do little clips and highlights so I don't bore you.
Lows:
-Grading: I realized that I really don't enjoy grading papers, especially at home after school hours. It takes lots of time.
-Stress: It was much worse in the first half of the year, but trying to play teacher, counselor, and occasional babysitter and friend for 21 students every day can be pretty stressful. I don't have much reason to complain, though, because the kids are great and 21 students is a relatively small amount. Next year it will be much less stressful...thankfully for Jenny!
-Kids moving: 2 of my better students moved during the school year, which was hard on the students they made friends with.
-Lesson planning: never fun, period!
-Trailer: for those who don't know, my classroom was a trailer this year (and will be for probably a few years), which was small. Having more space would've been great, but at least I got to control the AC when it got hot!
Highs:-My students: they were great! A few of my boys were wild and crazy, but they were all bright, funny, cooperative, and fun to have in class. They all had a great sense of humor, which I took advantage of as I made bets and challenges with them (the best was during the Ohio State/Michigan football game in which I'd shave an "M" in the back of my head if OSU lost. Thankfully, the Buckeyes took care of business!)
-Events: (see pictures below): There were several events throughout the year that were fun for me and the kids.
-Delivering pizza to students
-Christmas program where I dressed up in Hawaiian clothes and sang a song.
-Assemblies: we had several that were funny and memorable.
-Charity basketball game: I played basketball with other staff members against another elementary school. It was lots of fun, even though we lost.
-Wax Museum: students picked a famous person to research, wrote a report, then reported about their person by stating 10 facts (while dressed to the part!).
-Field trips: we went on lots of fun and educational field trips...we are very fortunate that the school and students can afford so many great trips.
-Old Salem, NC: We visited the colonial settlement of Old Salem and learned how people lived and worked long ago.
-BizTown: students went to downtown Charlotte to the Junior Achievement building, where they ran their own small businesses and learned how an economy works.
-Charlotte symphony
-BFG (Big Friendly Giant) play in Charlotte
-Grandfather Mountain & Linville Caverns: we took charter buses to the Blue Ridge Mountains in NC and went to Grandfather Mountain, saw lots of great animals at a nature preserve, and went underground at Linville Caverns.
-Discovery Place: a Charlotte children's museum with an IMAX theatre.
-Curriculum: the 4th grade NC curriculum was fun to teach. Here's what we learned this year in case you were wondering:
-Reading: summarizing, cause & effect, comparing & contrasting, sequencing, and other skills.
-Writing: personal and imaginative narratives, poetry
-Math: Long division and multiplication, decimals, fractions, word problems
-Science: rocks & minerals, magnetism, electricity
-Social Studies: North Carolina history and its 3 regions
-Gifts: at Christmas, Teacher Appreciation Week, and at the end of the year I got many gifts from parents and students...wow!...definitely a perk to being a teacher! =)
-Test scores: my students did very well on all of their end-of-grade tests (Reading, Math, Writing). What a praise!
-Supportive wife: Jenny was great to me this year...I spent lots of time on school-related work at home, which is never fun for either of us. She helped me with work, organizing & cleaning my room, and overall being patient and loving when I needed it!
-Summers off! Not that I won't be working, but it's a nice break from the classroom and all those kids! =)
I am really looking forward to next year because I have the routine of things down, I know what to expect, and I have some experience under my belt.
Me and a few of my students at Old Salem
Jenny and me with some old folks
Me with 2 of my students
Me and Isaac: the 2 brave males in the Christmas program. Yes, those are reindeer antlers.
Me trying to figure out the boys of today's generation.
Beautiful student art during the Christmas party. Click the picture to read the funny message by the heart.
Wow.
Wax Museum.
Observing animals at Grandfather Mountain.
The kids loved the bears!
And the otters!
Golden Eagle
Cougars
Easily amused 4th graders...
The view from Grandfather Mountain was awesome!
Jenny and me on the bridge
Jenny helping one of my scared students across!
My class at Linville Caverns...what a crew (click the picture to see everyone better)
