Despite the sweltering heat, it was a very high energy day. Maybe it was the sexy leopard tank top and slinky black skirt I decided to wear. Nah, it was probably that huge 1st day of school oatmeal cookie that I could no longer resist and ate before school started! So my kids saw the hyper Miss Allen come out for the first time. I love watching their faces when they first realize that teachers can be funny.
The routine finally sank in for me today. I am finding my rhythm even though I teach reading followed by math and writing isn't until after lunch. It wasn't easy allowing myself out of the integrated language arts box but I refuse to short change writing as a result of all the other scheduled subjects - computers, library, science and PE. It was the only block of time that even came close to being an hour. I can already see the writing taking off. 2 of my kids took out an extra notebook at lunch to write and draw at recess. And I just started conferences today! We are creating a community of writers where it is safe to put yourself out there and share the heart of who you are. Each year it becomes easier for me to share my writing with the strangers that we are the first few days of school because I know the power of that modeling. I read the pieces that show my vulnerability and make it OK to be scared or embarrassed, trusting the empathy that human beings have for each other, even at the tender age of 7.
The kids' personalities are coming out now. They don't feel like a group any longer but individuals who have different strengths and needs. I no longer see the sibling in the current student's face. So far they are respectful of the gifts they see in one another. That has become more and more a part of my speech pattern in the classroom. We are melding together into a team.
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