Oh My Word....What a Couple of Weeks

Man, long time and no post. We started school last Tuesday, and I struggle to find the words to describe how it has gone so far. I love having larger classes. I feel like there are so many more opportunities for the students to learn social/emotional skills. Plus the literacy activities I have been able to do with them have been incredibly deep and efficient. It is just an all around better preschool experience (especially when you keep in mind that I had a class of four students last year...).

I just have so many more behavior and developmental concerns this year. I was spoiled last year - I know this. I never worried about behavior issues, so I could really focus on academics. I was worried that that meant my students didn't get the necessary practice on the social/emotional front, but when I see them interact with the new students this year, they can totally handle it. There are rough spots, of course, but they just handle routine and being together really well.

Now, I've got a handful of new students, most completely new to the school experience, and it's a whole different story. In the last seven school days, I have had hitting, name calling, pushing, rumors of biting, throwing, kicking, and screaming. It's a challenge, and it's exhausting.

We've done some great things in spite of our struggles though. We started a study on balls, and it has been going smoothly so far. We've completed the exploration portion of the study, and we're going to start investigations next week. We're headed out for our first field trip tomorrow, and I'm anxious to see how that goes. I'm going to introduce the trip boards. The kids will be taking note of how other kids use balls, and I'm excited to see how it works.

Man, tired for tonight. Hopefully, I'll find a chance to update this weekend.