I have a job! With Benefits!

Sorry for the lack of blogage lately. I just returned from my honeymoon, so you'll have to forgive me for being a little slow to write. I do have exciting news though! Today I signed a full time teaching contract as a 6th grade language arts teacher. I have benefits too! with dental! (they don't start until Oct. but that's a whole different story.)

I went and toured the school today, and I got to see my classroom. For a first time teacher, I must say I was very pleased with the size of the room. Many first year teachers have to "teach on a cart" and move classrooms throughout the day, but I will have my very own room *squeals!*.

I was able to get some of the textbooks the 6th graders use, but I'm still very nervous. I was a good student teacher. One of my students told me, "you're the best student teacher I've ever had," and that meant a lot to me because he was an upstanding student. I don't really know what I'm worried about. Maybe that they'll smell the fear on me when I walk in the door? They'll throw knives behind my head? Or worse, that I won't teach them anything :( .

I try to remember how I felt during my student teaching days, and remembering is hard because I haven't taught in 6th months. Its easy to forget the day to day details like taking attendance, issuing books, dealing with a talkative teen.

As I sit here trying to jog my brain, I realize I forgot how down and out I used to get on the weekends. My bff and I would have to give ourselves pep talks Sunday night because it was so tempting to "forget" to set our alarms and not show up. (Besides, I could still do museum studies, right?) We'd chant:

"We're good teachers!"
"We can do this!"
"We did it last week!"
"Only 23 days left!"

So I guess that's how I'll take this coming year: one day at a time. I'll make a lesson for the first day, and then the next until its June 8th. Then I can pat myself on the back and let out a collective (and much deserved) sigh of relief.