A New Year Begins...

I approach each new school year with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. On that first day I will be confronted with 150 or so young human beings who are being entrusted to my care for the next 180 days. It is my responsibility to teach them English, that’s a given, but also to model for them responsibility, accountability, respect, interpersonal skills, a strong work ethic, a desire to achieve more than seems possible at the moment, and the belief that they can do so. That’s a hefty load!

Now that my room is ready; books are inventoried and on the shelf; bulletin boards await student work samples; my teacher page is set up and ready to go; my first week’s lesson plans are completed; and most of the copies needed for the first day are made, I have time to sit and worry about whether or not I am ready. Have I prepared enough over the summer? Are the professional materials I read enough to re-stock my “teacher toolbox” for this year? Are there materials I should have gotten to and didn’t? Should my department have met more over the summer than we did? Did I take enough classes and attend enough trainings over the summer? How can I incorporate the new ideas I have gleaned from professional resources and other teachers into my classroom? Will I be able to challenge my gifted students and have time to care for the needs of the students who need a little extra help in a class of 35+ in a 50 minute period? How can I infect all of my students with a love of reading and a desire to become and remain voracious readers? Will I be able to instill in them a love of learning for the sake of learning? Will I be able to make a personal connection with every student, a connection which is so vital to helping them learn and become the best they can be?

Whew! Now my head hurts and I want to curl up under my desk, suck my thumb, and hide. Perhaps no one will notice.

Okay, not an option. I have to trust in my experience, my training, my love of each and every one of those kidlets I haven’t met yet, put on my big girl pants, and crawl out from under the desk. I have done my best to prepare and I am ready to meet another year’s challenges. There will be ups and downs. Words I will wish I had said and words I will wish I hadn’t. Students I will feel I reached and some I may never know I impacted in any way.

This year will pass like the twelve before and another group of kids will worm their way into my heart just like the ones before them did. I’ll cry a little at the end of the year, take a deep breath, and prepare to do it all over again the next year; because that’s what makes teaching a truly special calling, grueling and for the most part thankless, but special nonetheless.

2014-2015 Fiction Section (Beginning of the Year)

Summer Vocabulary #3

For words to become part of our working vocabulary (the words we use in everyday conversation) we need to do more than just know what they mean. We have to use them. Here are a list of words often used in adult conversation, newscasts, literature, and other types of media. Make it your goal to listen for the use of these words this week and to use them all at least once in normal conversation. Feel free to post a comment and let me know how you do. Find a partner (parent, friend, sibling) and let's play...

Untenable: impossible to maintain or defend, tolerate or endure. From the old French tenir meaning to hold.

Carte Blanche: unrestricted power to act at one's own discretion, unconditional authority or free pass. French: carte meaning ticket, blanche meaning white.

Ennui: dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom. Old French meaning to annoy or to bore.

Ostracize: to exclude from a group. Greek from ostrakon meaning shell or potsherd.

Ok, let's see how many of these words you can find, read, or hear this week, but more importantly how many of them can you use? Remember, to have a word become part of your working vocabulary, you have to actually use it - more than once. If you are unsure how the word is pronounced go to www.dictionary.com and use the pronunciation feature.