Recap of the first two weeks

"Education is not the piling on of learning, information, data, facts, skills, or abilities - that's training or instruction - but is rather making visible what is hidden as a seed."
-Thomas Moore

“Good morning,” I smile and say to each student as they enter the school building each day. I have morning duty at the top of the stairs at the end of the Green hallway, where carpoolers are dropped off. It’s got to be the easiest duty assignment I could have been given.

Sometimes the kids say “morning” back to me; sometimes they mutter something incomprehensible, surprised by the greeting; and sometimes they just scowl at me—too cool to reply. After those kids pass, I just giggle to myself—if only they knew how “cool” they really were!

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By the end of the first week, I began to see faces in the hall that I recognized, as I walked between classes. Sometimes they would smile at me or wave, and occasionally one would say, “Hi, Mrs. B!” and I was able to find their name in my brain that’s teeming with names and faces right now to reply “Hi, Sydnie!” or “Hi, Greg.”

By the end of the second week, I have been amazed because I have whole classes where I know everybody’s name. I can’t promise that I’ll recognize everybody out of the computer lab, but at least when they are in my possession, I can call them by name.

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On the other side of the coin—I have called the administration to my class to remove two students, phoned a parent about disruptive behavior, and given one “conduct cut”/discipline slip in my first two weeks as a teacher. I find that the most difficult time to keep everyone focused is during transitions from one activity to another. And in an hour and fifteen minute class, there's bound to be several transitions throughout a class period. Everyone thinks that this is their freetime to chat. And, while I don't mind a little bit of noise here and there, I get really frustrated when the students don't keep with me as we begin the next activity.