Reset

This week I finally made my way back to school for some professional development.  Since I was already in the area, I decided to do some updates to my classroom. 

I moved my file cabinet back to create better feng shui around my desk...although cleaning my desk would probably create more productivity than the moved file cabinet.

New bookshelves, books, curtains, and a neat poster of Grand Central Station 1939 (I'm working on my Gatsby vibe)

Remember when I was bemoaning my recycling? This is the pile that hasn't yet left my classroom.

One of the stacks of English 3 materials gifted to me by the former English 3 teacher

This poster is very well-traveled; it started in my dorm room in Boston, and since then has lived in three other states before making its subtle way to my English class

I recently joined the 21st century and got a smart phone; thus, why this post is so much more graphically-inclined than the usual ones.

In all the shifting and new hiring that has happened at my high school over the last two months, we have two brand-new English teachers in our department - like, BRAND-brand-new, just graduated from college.  I realize deep down that I graduated just two years ago and have only been teaching one year, but I am so excited to serve as a sort of "mini-mentor" to these two awesome ladies.  I can answer questions on lesson plans, student climate, expectations, behaviors, administration, schedules, and anything else that doesn't require more than one year of experience.  

It reminds me of when I was a kid, and there was a HUGE difference between being a third grader and being a fourth grader, or a fourth grader and a fifth grader. Fourth graders were just, you know, so much older and more knowledgeable in the eyes of a third grader.  Sure, there were mere months between us, but still.  That's kind of how I feel having one year of teaching experience compared to that of a brand-new teacher.  I hung on every word of my co-sophomore teacher last year, and she had only one year of experience on me.  She knew what it was like, out in the real world.  And now, I get to join those ranks.  Don't get me wrong - I am not a master teacher.  Obviously.  I don't even really know what I'm teaching this year, and school starts in three and a half weeks.  But it's nice to know that I have at least a few fewer questions than I did last year.  And I know where I've made mistakes, so instead of repeating those, I get to make new ones.