Start of a New Year

I had hoped to have my Flickr account up and running by now, and YouTube as well. My fifth grade students say it is easy. I always have to fight that demon that tells me I can't do a good job, and I haven't been able to get past that this summer. I will post the link on the top of this page when it is done. In the meantime, I have begun the 2010-2011 school year with a totally new attitude. I am really appreciating what a great job I have and enjoying every moment. Just yesterday, four team members were talking to me while I taught, a situation that would have stressed me out in the past. Instead, I taught the kids, then let them work while I talked briefly with the adults, then returned to the kids, etc. I seem to be much better at taking things one at a time, always keeping the kids first. My technology staff has outdone themselves, getting our computers up and running from day one. Today they came in and added more software to the dock. I like to familiarize my students with the basics: Scratch, iWork, iTunes, iPhoto, Garageband, iWeb, and the programs already in the dock: Kidspiration, Pixie, and probably others I can't think of at the moment. I am sorry we won't get Co:Writer, but hopefully there will be a word prediction software that costs less.

The students are doing very well, and I look forward to having 5 fifth-graders this year. Some of them were in my class in kindergarten! It is a stretch to teach third graders who want to know when we are having snack (we don't) and fifth graders who can write paragraphs! I hope I can challenge all of them without making them frustrated. I have a big class this year, which allows me to create a bit of community. The older kids have to adjust to helping the younger ones, and the younger ones have to adjust to higher expectations. Here's to a great year!!!!!