Ok. I survived.
It's been the longest, hardest, first week of school - ever.
But, we made it.
I was going to have pictures of my cute classroom when it's all clean and nice - I ran out of time.
My brain seems to only be functioning in short sentences.
That may not connect.
Or be complete.
Kind of like 5th graders at the beginning of the year.
Who can't remember how to make a cursive Q - and their name starts with Q.
Who can't quite get the concept of "First and last name, and date, on your paper every time!"
I get 'TR'. Literally, 2 letters. I know whose paper it is - but seriously is it so hard to write the 5 letters in your last name, and the date?? You could have a name like Musa Abdirahman, then your problem would be needing a second paper to get it all in.
I forget how much training it takes to get a classroom running smoothly, and with an AM and PM class (oh the complications of a split - we can't even afford a .5 teacher!!!) things have been difficult.
But I managed to get 33 students to spell Abdirahman and Claire, Clara, and Claira with the appropriate accompanying last names. We successfully played with mealworms (which I may kill over the weekend, as I am just now remembering they need a fresh piece of apple - this is why I have no class pet - except for Mo (who is a child)). We danced the Lethargian dance, and my new boy actually said "can we do it again?!" (new kids don't understand the William Penn way means we DANCE)
I learned the name of 80 5th graders and 20 4th graders - except those 3 or 4 refugees who have the most complicated names that start with K, but the first sound is a "b" sound - ???? - and they won't speak, can't speak in English - still struggling on those names.
So, we made it. And I'm not complaining - it was a good week. I'm proud we survived, but it was long and exhausting. But I can't complain about that either, I just sent Art out the door for his 12th straight day of working - he's already worked 60 hours this week, and will end it with 78. But he just keeps getting up and going, grateful for work, now THAT is surviving.
