First Day of School...

...is done! I survived.

There were 33 kids on my list and, miraculously, all 33 appeared today. Gosh, they seem so young! My kids from last year were practically 6th graders when I said goodbye to them in June and this group just came out of 3rd grade.

We spent a lot of time on the rules and established how the class is run. Most of the kids did really great. There were 2 boys that ended up not getting stars on the behavior chart, but I've had worse! Much worse. They'll shape up.

The really hard part was that, with the horrible air quality (the sky has been a reddish gray all day today) we had to change our recess and lunch schedule. The district decided to have us use the rainy day schedule. Doing this gives the teachers hardly any breaks. Recess was early and supervised in the room by a yard duty aide. I left for a very brief time, certainly not as long as the normal length of our break. Lunch was also early and only 30 minutes instead of 45. The kids could only play in the room, so we went into my closet of games, puzzles and blocks that is normally used on a Friday afternoon or a rainy day. The kids had a great time, but we were very cooped up. And with 33 little bodies and the hot weather, it was a little difficult.

But that is what being a teacher is like a lot of the times. No matter how much you plan and prepare, there are always things that throw a wrench into the works. By the afternoon we were so hot--the A/C was just blowing room temperature air--that I didn't even give them a math lesson today (on the stipulation that we will definitely do one tomorrow.) Instead we saw part of a film on bugs. But we got through some language arts and some writing this morning, which was good.

Overall, I have a good feeling about this year. I hope it lasts! And I REALLY, REALLY MISS COOL WEATHER.

Here are some pictures of the kids during their indoor play. Lotsa kids!