The year started out rough for me. My principal told me before my very first class that all my students would be on their best behavior on the first day of school. Wrong. First class, a student walked in causing trouble and acting like the class clown. This flustered me, and I was nervous the rest of the day! The next day, I found out I must not have been alone because he was sent to AC (Alternative Classroom) for three days, and I didn't send him there. The second day, and most of the next week, I had classroom management issues in a few of my classes, but I've worked those out now. It made me feel better to know that most of the new teachers were having the same problem.
Things seem to be going better right now, although I had my first formal observation today, and I'm a little nervous about what they're going say. I'm also a little nervous because I just posted my grades to Edline for the first time, and I know I'm going to have some VERY unhappy parents. I just hope they understand that their child has to earn his/her grade in my class. I'm nervous because of all the horror stories I've heard about talking to parents. Wish me luck!
Sometimes that first progress report is all it takes for students to realize that they will actually have to work to get a decent grade in your class. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to faze some of my students at all. I visited with forty-three parents at P/T Conference and many were very concerned about their child's grades. Unfortunately, many of these students are doing well or need only to focus a little harder and their grades will come up without any problem. It is the parents that should have and really needed to be there that did not put in an appearance or anything. Now I understand why so many of my students have the attitudes that they do about school. If the parents do not care enough to see if their child(ren) are doing well in school, how can they expect them to be successful learners.
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