We have completed our first full week of school. I had kids all five days; AJ's kids came on Tuesday. This is my 7th year teaching, my 5th in my building. Crazy! It was really good - so far, my freshmen are great. They are much quieter and just all around nicer than my kids last year. They raise their hands, work when I ask them to, and don't talk back. They only got a bit rowdy once, but I used my teacher voice and they backed off. I don't know if it's just beginning-of-the-year jitters making them behave so well, but I'll take it. I've gotten to see a lot of old students and have been greeted with many hugs. See, they don't all hate me ;-) I am also lucky to have my Honors 10 class; I had most of these kids last year in Honors 9 and they quickly became my most favorite kids I've ever had. It's wonderful to spend 40 minutes with intelligent kids with fun personalities. Truly, if the rest of my day sucks, they make up for it. After one week, I am feeling pretty fortunate to have the job that I have. I work with great people, am pretty much left alone by the higher-ups, and still enjoy going to there most days. For now. Ask me in February when it's so dark and cold and I just want to stay home in my bed. Or in May when everyone has checked out, including me some days.
Jack has done great at Christine's. He eats well, naps well, and comes home so full of coos and smiles that I don't ever want to leave him! I'll admit that though I do love my job, there are times when he's smiling at me that I so wish I could stay home with him. I know I'd go stir crazy and that kind of life is not what's in the best interest of my family (or my general sanity), but I think because I know he's the last little Kovall I will have, I just don't want to miss a moment. They grow SO fast. I didn't realize it with Ethan and couldn't wait for him to learn his next trick. With Jack, I just want to freeze him all little and sweet. It makes up for the fact that he is still not quite making it through the night. He's getting close, though. He's making it until 4 a.m., which is great. The only bad part is we get up at 5:30, so by the time we get back to sleep, it's time to wake up again. He did make it until 5:40 on Friday, so let's hope the trend continues.
They 'play' like this every day after school :-)
Ethan has done very well all week, also (well, at daycare. At home, he's still the same little hellion). He went to school twice and loved it. Though, the first day I took him, he told me I had to stay there with him because he'd miss me. Yep. Cried the entire way to work after I dropped him off. When I picked him up after school that day, he was on the playground playing in the gravel with a bunch of little ladies...He can't be too much of a ladies' man because he was FILTHY! Head to toe dirt. And sweat. Such a boy.
Look at those hands...
Those knees...
That face...He went straight to the tub.
We have a good routine going in the morning. Having 2 kiddos to get ready each day (and out the door by 6:20) is definitely an adjustment (considering last year I got up at 6:05), but I think we've got it down. We get everything ready at night so there's no real thinking involved in the morning. Who can think at 5:30? Not me. Needless to say, we are EXHAUSTED! By the time we get Jack in bed at 9 (after we've cleaned up, I've hit the treadmill and showered, and packed both boys' bags), we are so out of it. Scratch that. We are out of it by 5 and somehow muscle through until Jack's bed time. We've been in bed by 9:30 all week! I can't tell you how happy I am that I am no longer a new teacher and have taught all three of my courses for at least 3 years. I don't know how I would get everything done if I had to worry about planning everything from scratch every day!
We are looking forward to an extra day off on Monday. It will hopefully help us recharge. That and the fact that we will be enjoying GiGi's home cooking on Sunday...
No comments:
Post a Comment