Teaching is hard. The first year is hard. Everyone tells me this and everyone swears it’s true. Don’t give up, they say, stick with it. The first year is hard. <\/p>\n
I’m only subbing, long-term, but so far things were going great. I was confident in my abilities, moving right along, getting things done, and we were doing ok. Then this week hit! I only have ten kids, and a few of them are challenging, but I have enough easy-going ones to balance it out and keep the class going. Not this week. Monday was tough and Tuesday was tougher. Wednesday I made a plan and made some changes. Today I tried again. It was a mess! I found myself apologizing all day to any grownup around, swearing that my class isn’t usually this awful. Even the easy-going ones were falling apart on me, wandering around, making random noises. Trying to gather them for morning meeting was like herding cats, just when you get one to the rug another wanders away. It was chaos. Fortunately it’s only half day! The weather is dreary and drizzly, and there was some talk of indoor recess, but I said no way! Out we went. It wasn’t really raining, maybe just a little moist. They needed it. I needed it! <\/p>\n
Now I need a new plan, and apparently some serious work on my classroom management skills. I thought I was doing well, but ugh, maybe not! All day I kept thinking “I’m no good at this, I can’t handle it,” but then the voices of many experienced people filled my head, reminding me that the first year is hard. Even though I’m just the long-term sub, it’s still my first year (or half year, anyway) and it will be hard. <\/p>\n
I need a nap. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Teaching is hard. The first year is hard. Everyone tells me this and everyone swears it’s true. Don’t give up, they say, stick with it. The first year is hard. I’m only subbing, long-term, but so far things were going … Continue reading