It's Like Ripping off a Band-Aid

We survived. I was really expecting this morning to be far worse than what it was. I've been praying for a smooth transition, and thankfully, with the prayers of others, today was a success. I can't say it was easy to drop G off with her sitter and like ripping off a Band-Aid, I dropped her off and headed to work. I was terribly sad at the thought of  not seeing her for 8 hours but not once did I actually worry about her. I know she is in excellent hands.

I made it to work in a very timely fashion. If we can maintain this schedule we'll be set. Granted, I know that with infants things change constantly. I entered into my classroom with a lot of optimism. I have a very agreeable number of students and some wonderful personalities if they are anything like they were last year.

I still have A LOT of work ahead of me. I've dusted just about everything. I'm working on organizing my classroom. Having left on maternity leave 6 weeks prior to the end of the year, I was not present to clean and organize my classroom. Needless to say, I had more than average to do in my room. I've also done a lot of restructuring as far as my Word Study and reading groups go. I feel very confident in my game plan...only time will tell.

Open House will take place later this week. I am eager to meet my new darlings. It's always fun to see them react to their new room. First grade is such an interesting grade to teach. I am required to prepare kindergarten babies for 2nd grade. That is a HUGE transition! It is also A LOT of work. Sometimes I think it's almost harder for the parents to adjust than it is the kids. Homework becomes more challenging, as does the content and class work. I feel a huge responsibility to not just help them succeed in their academics, but also as future contributors to society. Even at this age, so many children these days have skewed moral compasses. For 10 months I have these children in my care for about 8 hours a day. For most of my students, I spend more time with them than their parents. I can't help but feel responsible for assisting in building good character into these children.

I can't say enough great things about my job. I work for an amazing principal and along side a fabulous faculty. God has blessed me with the ideal workplace doing something I truly love. I hope to post some pictures of my completed classroom in the near future.

Well, I suppose I should call it a night. My baby is sound asleep and I was able to enjoy a few perfectly ripened strawberries as an after dinner nibble. Not a bad way to end this day.