… I had just told all of my 8th graders that I would not be returning for the second semester of the year. They were shocked. We were all devastated. It was a weird situation in which I wasn’t sure what was happening until the week before the end of the semester. I wasn’t fired. The possibility of not working the second semester was there from the beginning. But it was awful. For everyone.

I left that school with my backseat FILLED with gifts. Thoughtful gifts and cards, and completely random gifts and cards that only 8th graders could think of. It was all amazing.

This year, I teach at the high school and have many of the same students as freshmen.

This year, I left the school with one card and one bag of cookies. And I’m so much happier with that. It means there are no goodbyes, no sad faces. They’ll see me in January, and they know that. Whether they like it or not. :)

Here’s to break!

The school year is heeeeeeere!  

Well, almost. It’s here for my hubby - he starts tomorrow! My first day with the kids is Thursday.

Things I’m excited about this year:

- TECHNOLOGY! I get 6 NEW computers in my room, as well as an LCD projector and a document camera. TECHNOLOGY WIN! I also just created a Google Site, and plan to use Google Docs and other means to have homework distributed and turned in electronically. After complaining that our classrooms haven’t caught up with our students, mine is finally getting there.

- Familiar faces! Almost half of my students are students I had last year. HALF! I thought it would be less than that. And, my advisory period is almost ALL students I had last year. So excited. I saw some of them wandering campus today, and I think we’re all happy to see familiar faces. :)

- Sharing and recommending books to kids who hate to read. And also kids who love to read. And also kids who kind of like to read. 

There are things I’m nervous about, but they’re so minimal in comparison to the amount of awesome at my school, that I’m not even going to spend time writing about them.