First Day times 2

Today was my first day back at work after fall break and my first day in my new position! I was a little worried about what would take place today because I didn't have a schedule, or a caseload, or any information on the students I will be working with. Luckily, we got that all figured out today.

First I will share the two best parts of the position:

1. I get Fridays off. Every weekend is a three day weekend (in Europe). Life.Is.Good!

2. I am a specialist which means I work with students in elementary, middle, and high school, which means I get to partake in treat/goodies in all three of the staff work rooms. Whoopee!

Most of the students I will be working with are in middle school. Go figure. I never thought I would ever teach middle schoolers, but I am actually really looking forward to it. 5th graders are also considered to be in middle school which is funny to me because I always think of 5th grade as being the big fish in elementary school. I will push in or pull out of 5th grade English & Math, 6th grade Math, and 7th grade English.

I will also work with some 3rd and 4th graders in behavior modification, Reading, Writing, and Math.

Then I also have one high school boy to work with. He is taking an 8th grade Algebra class, so technically the material is still middle school, but he is a 9th grader. I can already tell he is going to have a special place in my heart. I got a short rundown of some of the issues that he is dealing with, but my co-worker/supervisor said that when she introduced him to me and let him know I would be working with him, he seemed excited and smiled (which is big for him) so that is good.

Monday is the busiest day with 5 consecutive 45-minute blocks before lunch, but the other 3 days have some off periods in between lessons, which will be nice. It will also be helpful to have Fridays off so I can stay on top of my doctoral stuff. So, now that I have some logistical info, I feel much better and I am ready to start teaching! Tomorrow I get to do some observing/helping to get a feel for some of the classrooms that I have not been in yet so this week gives me some time to ease into the new position. I am also happy that I will be working with some teachers that I already know (friends!) and some students I already know which definitely helps to make the new job seems a bit less daunting.

It is pouring rain out today, so I feel like hibernating in my apartment until hubby comes home. What a good night for soup or some kind of hot stew. Too bad I really need to hit up the grocery store because we are out of food! That happens to us a lot here because the fridge is so tiny. I definitely do not feel like walking to the store in the rain, so maybe "room service" is in order tonight. Thank goodness for pizza delivery!