I have had ZERO desire to post on this blog all year. None. At all. I'm not sugar coating it. I SUCKED at being a first grade teacher for the first five months of doing it. I did! I had no clue what I was doing. Not even going to pretend that I did. For example, I didn't give the students homework until the end of September. SEPTEMBER. What kind of teacher doesn't give extra practice at home? Who am I? What was I thinking?!
I am a first grade teacher, that's who I am! I actually feel REALLY good about where I am. I have such a long way to go -- we all do as teachers. It's an evolving sport, teaching. True story. We will never have it all figured out because it will always change based on our students needs. But I have a platform now. I have a solid foundation. I give consistent homework!
I have rearranged my room six times since August 20th. Six. Seriously. My brain never stops going. I never stop thinking about what else I can do to make my room more fun for my first grade friends. I find myself thinking, "Ok, after this week, I will be all set! I will have everything like I want it." And then I think of something else to do. Like these:
I don't know where this pressure came from of trying to make everything more perfect. Cuter. Better. But I am sucked in. I can't escape it. I don't really know if I want to! I like thinking that I can make things better for my students. For myself! I like knowing that I am constantly trying to grow as an educator. Sure - it's exhausting, but in a good way.
I am finally working on some first grade products for my shop. I don't make these products to sell. I make them because I need something to meet my students' needs. If they are successful for me, I hope that they can be successful for other teachers. That's the only reason I put them up on Teachers Pay Teachers. I want to share! One of those things is my writing center additions that I have been using since October. They have been FANTASTIC for me. I cannot wait to finish them so that I can share with everyone. I plan on offering at least one month's worth for free, so if you still follow this blog and you are reading this, you will get a freebie coming your way. :) Here is a little peek:
I have a HUGE blog post that has been saved since November that has a ginormous explanation of what I was going through at the beginning of the year and once I have all of my stuff ready to go, I will post it. I just wanted to get back out there now that my blog has a facelift and I don't feel like Dopey the Teacher anymore.
Welcome back, Circus of Learning!
