After a week off in Hawaii bliss I returned this morning to no lesson plans and a pile of student work to rummage through. Today was my first day teaching my exceptional group of children. I am a typical type A personality and appreciate over planning and dotted i’s and crossed t’s. This morning I knew I was coming in to students who were thrown into instruction with a substitute who although very competent and an awesome teacher, didn’t have much to go on from me. It’s always tricky when it comes to starting intervention groups for the year. My kids are feeling me out while I am feeling them out. They don’t always completely understand who I am because they keep asking me what grade I teach. My response of ‘every grade- kinders through fifth grade’ only confuses them so much more. I have real conversations with my fourth and fifth graders to let them know that their learning style requires they be more proactive and more involved in achieving an education. My younger kids just think I teach reading, which is probably fine! So anyway today they all showed up bright-eyed and eager to get things started. It’s funny how they remember me and we seemlessly just groove back into our routine as established last year! My students are so sweet and genuinely appreciate me for making learning a possibility.

Moral of the Blog- If your kids (or co-workers) run up to you upon your return to work, just wondering where you’ve been…. you’re doing something right! Mahalo