New subject, new students

The only problem is that I feel like the one on the right

Yesterday was our first day of school with the students and my first day teaching Algebra! Overall, I think it went well. So far I work well with the other two teachers who teach Algebra 1. The first day of school went exceptionally well until after lunch. I then had a class with about six students who wanted to talk and disrupt class the entire time. I took each student to the hallway in turn to discuss how they were starting the year. Today I changed their seats so that they were separated. That got four of the students to change their behavior. I now just have two who would rather socialize than work. I have a couple more strategies to see if we can get them on the right path. I'm hopeful but very tired!

Tomorrow is when I really start to hit the math concepts so I'm a bit nervous. I talked to my team and have some great tips. You see, I know how to do this math but I'm not sure I know the best way to teach it. One of my teammates showed me how to explain solving polynomial equations with just four steps. That's much simpler than how I would have done it! I'm incredibly grateful for their help and I keep telling them so.

Along with a new subject, I am teaching a new demographic of students: freshmen! Whenever someone hears this they say something to the effect of "Oh my gosh, God bless you." In my experience, freshmen aren't really that different from sophomores. I'm more worried about having students with special needs & accommodations and probably not for the reason you are thinking. To follow state and federal laws, I must be certain that I am giving the students the accommodations they need and to give that consistently. I've created a spreadsheet to keep track of what they need because there is such a variety! I had no clue that these lists were so specific. Accommodations can include behavior (seated near the teacher, encourage class participation, private conferences, reminders of the class rules, etc) and academics (note outlines, extra time, oral administration, etc). I'm hoping that doing these things will quickly become a habit.

The only other thing that is worrying me about work right now is my class size. That is completely normal for the beginning of the year as the counselors work out schedules. Unfortunately I currently have 28 student desks (with chairs attached) in my classroom but I have one class with 32 students. I have a table I use for absent folders, turn-in boxes, etc that is currently my overflow area. I have lucked out because I only have two chairs for that desk but I've had enough students be absent that everyone has had a place to sit everyday. I'm hoping this is fixed soon because I like to have a seating chart and that's very difficult when there aren't enough seats.

On a very different note, I have solved a mystery. Last year my husband never finished the lunches I packed and I felt a little hurt about this because it takes some extra time to pack them. He always said he never had time to finish the lunch and I couldn't understand why. Last year I happened to have conference during the lunch period. That meant I could easily take my time during lunch since it blended with my conference. This year I have a class directly before and after lunch. I've found that those 30 minutes really aren't enough. The first six minutes are spent helping in the hallway during passing period. The next few minutes are spent taking a bathroom break, responding to urgent e-mails, and just sitting and breathing. The next thing I know I have 15 minutes to eat and prepare for my next class! Yesterday and today I had a sandwich and a yogurt. I've tried to have a snack during conference but I haven't yet found the time to do it.

Speaking of food, I've got to leave my blogging here for today. I really need to work on dinner. I'm a bit sad because I'm missing the first church choir rehearsal of the season because my throat is so sore but at least I don't have to bolt down my food.

¡Hasta luego!
-Clare G. S.