Miss Bennett in the Bay

We start with kids on Monday. My classroom is ready, relatively speaking. All the crucial things are up on the walls and I’ve got my plans and copies all set. It’s going to be an awesome first day.

One thing that I have been aware of this week in making poster after poster is that I am very clumsy with my markers. I ALWAYS have marker all over my hands. Does anyone else have this problem? I mean, I know they’re “non-toxic,” but seriously. This can’t be good.

Also, I apparently have forgotten how to cut paper straight. Almost every piece of butcher paper I cut out was extremely crooked and needed a patch. And I also have difficulty in getting staples to actually go all the way into the wall. Most of them stick out about a centimeter.

But, it’s done. And I think it looks nice. Bring on the kiddos!

Today was a 10-hour work day, and yet I am home feeling much more energized than I have felt during those 8-hour days we’ve had thus far.

The reason for this is that today was my first official day in my new classroom with the opportunity to unpack the massive amount of stuff I brought from my old classroom. The first day into your room at the beginning of the year is always an exciting one.

Today was also the day that we received a huge furniture shipment at my school. The school didn’t have a 5th grade last year, and only 2 classes of 4th graders, so a bunch of new rooms are being opened up for this year. The desks from the second grade were much too big for our students, so they were moved to the upper grades and the smaller desks and chairs were delivered for us.

It was quite the operation. A veritable army of parents and children showed up to help us move all of this stuff around. I couldn’t believe it! Every single person there was just so happy to be able to help the school that they didn’t complain one bit. Even when minor breakdowns in communication occurred (like when we already had enough desks in the room and the parents had to carry them back downstairs) nobody got upset. Furniture was moved, unpacked, put together, and organized in every classroom that needed it, and the parking lot and playground were painted all in the space of 2 hours. Our secretary pointed out to me that we would be totally unable to function without the support of the parents, and it’s true. I really can’t imagine all of the teachers doing all of that work on their own. We would probably still be working on it now.

Nothing like this ever happened at my old school, and I have spent the day trying to figure out why. I know that it is not that the parents there didn’t care, because I saw them care in my own classroom. There was just never the kind of school-wide mobilization that occurred today. And really, I think it is because nobody at my old school ever bothered to ask the parents for help. You know how the parents found out about today? The secretary called them. That’s it. Maybe a letter was sent home, maybe it wasn’t. I’m not sure. But clearly, the power of the phone call was huge for these families. I wonder what would happen at other schools if principals, secretaries, and teachers all made an effort to contact every single family before school started. Would you see an increase in parent involvement? It’s an interesting experiment to try. Has research been done on this? What efforts have you made at your school to increase parent involvement? Have they worked?

Switching to my new school is like being a first year teacher all over again. We’ve only been in professional development for a week, and I’m already overwhelmed with all of the assessments to write, plans to make, and just plain thinking that I have to do to be ready for my students at the end of the month. Don’t get me wrong- I am very excited to do all of this work- I’m just saying it’s a lot.

Honestly, I don’t know why I thought this would be easy. Maybe I disillusioned myself into thinking that since I have a whopping 2 years of teaching experience that somehow the third year would get better.

Instead, what I’ve learned is that teaching is just a really hard job, regardless of how much experience you have. All of the teachers at my school are working just as hard as I am, with just as much to do as I have, regardless of experience. The beginning of the school year is always going to be insane. Plans to write, classrooms to set up, millions of things to buy, and a to-do list that cannot possibly be completed in one measly little weekend.

Maybe it’s just that the first week back to work after a nice, long summer break is when we all have that little voice inside us that says, “Why am I doing this again?” But when our babies come to us and we have to teach them, that’s when we remember.

We do this because we love it. Because if we don’t, who will? Because our students deserve the best from us, all the time. If we’re not willing to give that to them, then we really should consider another profession. That’s what I’ve learned so far in my professional development.

I start my training for my new charter school on Monday. We have an entire month before school starts to plan, build a staff culture, and get our classrooms ready.

I could not be more excited. I’ve spent my summer reading books about teaching (including The Cornerstone for Teachers, The High Trust Classroom, and What Great Teachers Do Differently.) I’ve re-vamped my classroom management strategy, thought about ways to lay out my classroom, and considered organization strategies for 80 students (because I’m only teaching math, I’ll have 4 times the students than I’m used to.) I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get started!

The thing I’m most looking forward to is seeing the difference that this month of planning will make. Last summer, Jess and I spent the month of August planning as well, but I feel there is a substantial difference in those two things. Last year, our goal during August was to make the beginning of school not suck like it had in our first year. While this may be an admirable goal for a new teacher, it’s certainly not the pinnacle of good teaching. I’m excited to collaborate with the other teachers at my school in an authentic way. And I really can’t wait to put into practice all of those things I’ve learned from my books.

So, it’s the last real weekend of summer for me. Scott and I are off for a hike today, and tomorrow we’re going to check out The Lake Merritt Lakefest with Jess. After this, it’s work, work, work!