Back to School Night

Fulfilling the honorary duty of a first year teacher... bringing the staff starbucks- so we could get through the night! It was definitely a loong day! Oh, and I almost fell over with all those drinks.

My crazy insane back to school night cookies. Yes they took three hours to make, and yes I hand cut them, and yes I mixed the frosting myself.
I don't know what I was thinking. Totally an insane venture.
When I was finished, my dad asked me why I made monkey cookies!!! AHH, those are scissors if anyone was wondering.

These are the second batch of cookies I made for the parents to enjoy at back to school night.  To make them, I used sugar cookie dough (store bought) rolled it out, cut the shapes I wanted (I drew the shapes on paper and used the templates to cut around) then baked them.  To make the frosting I started with white frosting (store bought) and added food coloring. I also bought black icing since its just easier.

*Note: I was inspired from pictures I found on google images.

I had the parents decorate these pop sickle sticks to look like their child.  I thought they turned out really cute.  I now use them to pick students randomly to help me with things or answer questions.

This is our class wishing tree.  For back to school night I wrote things we were wishing our classroom had onto apples and attached them to our classroom tree.  Then I invited parents to take a wish and fulfill it for us.  Some parents did and it was a splendid exercise.  What a great way to allow parents to help anonymously.  They loved it and we actually received some of our wishes.

This is the flyer I put up which explained what our wishing tree was and its purpose.  This turned out to be a nice display to have up around the classroom for parents to peruse while they walked around.  

Before…

If you ere on the “tad to ambitious side” as I do, you might be thinking about trying to impress your student’s parents with fun crafts and packets and interesting things when they visit your room.  Picture this, I’m in my new cute black dress and grey wedges running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find the stapler. 

I originally thought back to school night started at 7:00 and at 5:45 discovered the start time was in fact 6:30.  To those of you who are always prepared and a week ahead on everything… disregard this caution.  But for the rest of you normal people out there, don’t save your speech practice/flyer packet assembly for the thirty minutes before parents arrive.  Something may come up that will catch you off guard.  Also, when assembling packets, it is best to invest in a paper sorter.  Putting packets together when they are comprised of more than five pages is maddening, especially when you’re on a time crunch.

During…

Be prepared, most likely you will not have full participation.  Don’t get offended if some parents don’t show up.  Inevitably there will always be at least one family that doesn’t participate (forgets to bring back folder, doesn’t send back signed forms, doesn’t come to school functions)

Tip:  Just make sure you figure out the basics before adding all the interesting flourishes.  I was so consumed creating cookies, designing fun activities (like writing their child a note) and cleaning my classroom that I saved the most important task for last. 

When in doubt- Use a rubber band

The beginning of the year is no doubt hectic and moves at light speed.  The first few weeks, I was primarily concerned with staying on top of my schedule and one step ahead of every bloody nose I encountered.  There was on rare occasion, something that would stop me dead in my tracks and produce something I like to call belly laughs.  In the case of the rouge geo-board assignment, I had a student who had a particular fascination with rubber bands.  This curiosity and excitement did not spring from his enthusiasm for math, or even the artistic aspect of designing shapes with the rubber bands, instead it was his passion for dress up which spurred his eccentricity.  

One hectic afternoon, as the class was immersed in choice time, I was approached by a colleague with a question, but we both became immediately distracted by this student.  Before we could converse, our attention was struck by this student who had taken a jumbo rubber band and placed it around his head.  He had bands on his fingers and wrists and was humming to himself.  The sight of this little boy calmly humming with a giant rubber band head dressing while the rest of the class was enthralled in boisterous chaos was absolutely hilarious.  Every time I remember this scene I crack a wide smile.  It is such a giddy memory.

The First Day of School

I found this idea on other Kinder teacher websites. Seriously they have the cutest ideas for the beginning of school.  These are Survival kits I made for my students parents.  They contained several items which were explained by a paper I enclosed.  

This paper has the explanation for all of the items I added to the parent goody bags.

Explaining calendar to my class for the first time.  They look mesmerized.  I'm pretty sure they just didn't know what to do with me. 

Going over classroom rules.  We had to review ALOT. Still reviewing actually.

Singing the weather helper song. Teaching them the hand motions.

Nothing goes as expected the first day of the rest of your life.  You arrive later than planned, forgetting then remembering lunch for the day as well as finding students waiting for you.  Inevitably, there will be at least one student who arrives inordinately early.  This is good to keep in mind if your classroom is connected to the outdoors and there is no yard duty in the morning.  Always have something for your students to do.  Also, don’t let the parents of your students leave without finding out who is picking their children up.  This again is very common sense but if someone gets sent home with the wrong adult or gets put on the wrong bus it will be traumatic for you and your student.  

The Night Before School Starts…

Tis’ the night before school starts and all through the house, not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse. You can hear a pin drop as you crawl into bed, going over and over your checklist instead, of succumbing to slumber you’re tossing and turning.  You rehearse and go over your mid morning greetings, praying to God that you don’t have a crier.  Knowing full well your flexibility will be tested, since the morning schedule is sure to be adjusted.  Still you wish it was seven and the day was beginning. Though it’s been nearly three hours and you still aren’t sleeping. No yawning or dozing, absolutely no dreaming, struggling to keep your limbs from going numb. Now it’s almost 12:30 and your breathing steadies, you know if you don’t sleep, you’ll have bags in the morning.   So slowly but surely, after much apprehension you fitfully slip into an in between dreamland, filled with apples and singing and runaway children till finally all fades to black.

Tip:  Take a bubble bath or hot shower (something relaxing), drink tea and by all means try not to over think your upcoming week.  Do whatever you can to make your body relax!  Try last minute pampering, pretty soon you’ll be flat out exhausted.

Momentary lapse of Credit….

 As any first year teacher who is fresh out of college can attest to, the interim months leading up to your first position is anything but lucrative.  If you are like me, you were so excited about teaching you decided to take the summer, relax, live on graduation money, and prepare your classroom and curriculum.  Unfortunately, the rest of American Society is not privy to this particular arrangement, which many post college grads seem to expect out of school.  Of course, being no exception to my peers on this count, I naively thought I could continue living frugally until my first paycheck arrived (which would come at the end of August).  What I forgot to take into account was the unexpected expenses, which inevitably arise with the dawning of a degree (i.e. paint, a classroom fish, fabric for curtains, hot glue gun, laminating expenses and Starbucks coffee among other things).

 Sadly, parents as well as generous family members admittedly and somewhat intentionally forget the awkward three month lapse of income and begin accruing expenses at your bedroom door as if to say, “all right well done, but now its time to be a grown up.”  Granted, the generosity offered while in college, is and always will be appreciated and there is a sense of earnest gratitude that for many seems a life long debt that may never be repaid. 

*Note: To all those loving parents who have graciously sacrificed their wants and needs to meet their children’s financial expenses, we are all eternally grateful.

Tip: This is extremely commonsense, and many people before me have learned this the hard way.  Check your bank account regularly.  Try to use cash as much as possible, and by all means, when depositing your first paycheck to an account with approximately $36.27 please refrain from using the all inviting and non-judgmental ATM.  Swallow your pride, take a deep breath and walk into the bank, prepared to deal with the menacing figures behind the counter.  You will in turn, be rewarded by the fruits of your labor immediately being deposited into your starving account, ready for use. Brace yourself; they will diminish rapidly.

Confession: Stupidly depositing my first paycheck into the ATM (instead of walking into the bank) and being left momentarily without funds, I borrowed money from my best friend to pay for my manicure/pedicure which in fact was not a necessity. 

Pepto Bismal…

 If there was ever a question regarding which product worked most effectively when dealing with constipation and regularity, forget the yogurts and pills and syrupy liquids offered at your local convenience store.  Instead, skip everything and throw yourself into the position of a first year teacher two days before school starts.  All doubts completely crumble and you find your self “googling” the first day of school checklist.  Then all of a sudden and without any kindly warning, you leap out of your seat and onto the chamber pot. This sickness brought on by apprehension and the sheer uncertainty of your next nine months attacks you in tsunami like torrents until finally it subsides long enough for you to tweak a muscle while preparing your pretty much perfect classroom.

This is me; 18 hours 29 minutes and 56 seconds before taking on my first major assignment. 

Anticipation Level

Nerves: 30%

Nightmares: 7%

Tweaked Muscles: 3%

Excitement: 60%

Ability to sleep: near too impossible

        

Tip: read something calming (not school related) before going to sleep, otherwise it may take you hours to stop thinking about pocket charts, behavior plans and the inevitable parent teacher conferences.

This is my first year as an elementary school teacher. I teach Kindergarten and First grade at North Bay Christian Academy located in Novato, California. It has been quite an adventure and huge learning curve. You are invited to join me in my journey as I reflect over the past five months and record the proceeding four months of school. I hope you enjoy and find humor in my experiences as well as learn from my blunders. Enjoy!