I wish that my mood didn't depend so much on my students, but I'm a teacher and I'm human, and my students are the people with whom I spend the bulk of the day.
Yesterday I was frustrated. They were productive in the morning, but tired and whiny in the afternoon. They didn't participate and made me work extra hard. Result: extra homework for them and a guilt complex for me.
Happily, having older students (I'm liking 5th grade much more than I expected) means a new level of maturity. Despite 3 pages of math, reading, and 20 spelling sentences, almost all of them did it and brought it today. I know, I'm a meanie. But I was even more amazed that many of them admitted that their behavior yesterday was unacceptable. Wow, they're growing up!
Today was the exact opposite of yesterday. We were ultra productive and we had fun because I wasn't using up energy reminding them of class rules. We also unpacked boxes of new materials and got the room cleaned and organized for tomorrow's Back to School Night. That's another good thing about having older kids--they are good helpers.
As tired as I was yesterday after school, today I feel satisfied and refreshed. I look forward to more days like today.
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