My routine holiday sleep-in was interrupted yesterday with a call telling me that one of our local schools might have positions vacant. After three borderline harassment phone calls and an email stating my case, I received a return call from the principal offering the possibility of a block of teaching on either a Year 4 or 5-6 composite class. I was to go in on Monday to start on the Year 4 class (who will still be in their class groups from the previous year) for the first few days and by the end of the week, the principal will have decided where to put me (and I assume that's if they feel that I'm right for the school).
After the happy dance was thrown, however, a little twinge in my stomach started niggling away. First of all, in my moment of excitement on the phone, I forgot to ask how long the blocks would be for - meaning I forgot to establish whether I should quit my second job. Secondly, in my eagerness to say 'YES' to anything I was being asked, I forgot to clarify whether that meant I would definitely be getting a position at the end of the week - meaning planning will be a little tricky. And thirdly, the classes are the same from the year before while the school waits for the numbers to settle - meaning I could have a different class at the end of next week (or at least I think that's what would happen?!). More clarification is definitely needed.
All this aside, the first thing I have done is establish what to do on my first day. @davidwees led me to
whatedsaid's post on
10 things to do on the first day of school, which was a great starting point, reminding me that I want to keep my classroom student-centred. This means I will have the students come to an agreement on appropriate/inappropriate behaviour in the classroom on their own, I will share my expectations with them and listen to what they expect in return, I will foster a friendly environment, listen to their stories, and have them work in groups to start off with.
In the classroom, I will be fine on the first day. But what is unsettling me is the organisation - do I use workbooks if classes might change by the end of the week? Do I set up a classroom and start decorating with artwork if I may not even be in it next week? Do I establish the rules system thoroughly if I may have to do it all again next Monday? What about homework, spelling words, letters to parents, planning? I literally have no idea what is planned this year, and won't find out until that morning what is planned for
them, while I won't know what is planned for
me until the end of the week. It's a tough one!
I think my main concern is not being able to tell the students and parents exactly where I will be by the end of the week. Ideally, I'd love to have information ready to hand out to the parents on the first day telling them what is in store for their children this year. But not knowing that, I'm worried that I will come across as having no idea what is happening (and while that may be the truth, I'd like to at least make the first impression that I am on the ball with such matters). Hopefully, I will be able to squeeze enough time before school out of one of the other grade teachers to establish what is happening with the Year 4 classes at the end of the week so that I can at least tell the students what they will be doing.
I think it will be a
very interesting first day!
With NAPLAN looming in the not-too-distant future, I'm trying to get my students to have a firm grasp of the concept of supporting their exposition (persuasive writing) arguments with at least two or three supporting statements per paragraph. I've come across aMap which I will be setting as optional homework this week. It's a great way for students to organise their arguments and will hopefully help them to remember to add more than just a topic sentence for each paragraph! Students will be emailing me their finished result. I can't wait to get computers up and running in my classroom!!!
While there are still a few things that need to be organised (ie. getting an IWB, bins for the room, any shelving, a clock, tote trays, computers etc.), I'm so excited to start creating a classroom that is tailored to my teaching style and the learning styles of students. I really want to make it a space where the students feel comfortable, and are immersed in their learning experiences. This means that, among other things, I'm trying to decide what types of areas/wall displays/desk arrangements to have in my room that will help my students to do their absolute best this year.
My routine holiday sleep-in was interrupted yesterday with a call telling me that one of our local schools might have positions vacant. After three borderline harassment phone calls and an email stating my case, I received a return call from the principal offering the possibility of a block of teaching on either a Year 4 or 5-6 composite class. I was to go in on Monday to start on the Year 4 class (who will still be in their class groups from the previous year) for the first few days and by the end of the week, the principal will have decided where to put me (and I assume that's if they feel that I'm right for the school).
