first day back

Things are running pretty smoothly. The ducklings transitioned back into all of our routines with relative ease and I haven't had any significant behavior issues (A cried once because someone stepped on his hand during blocks... I'll give it to him).

The best and worst part for me is that I feel like we never left, like I didn't have two weeks off. From the first day of school my goal was to "make it to Christmas." Today I'm asking, now what? Am I ever going to love this job?

for my next grant

from DonorsChoose we are going to get some beautiful, Black baby dolls to take to The Food Restaurant.

train: missed by enough seconds that the conductor chose to ignore me

Can I please just go back to bed? Shockingly, I'm not thrilled about starting back up on this cold Monday morning.

yardsticks

I spent a great deal of my vacation watching tv and vegetating, but when I needed a break from that I also read some excellent books. Yardsticks was definitely at the top of the list of very useful resources.

Finally, I know why 5 of my students always stand up when they work... they're five! And J always rushes through her work because she is so developmentally advanced that she is more of a six going on seven.

Every teacher should read this book. It is carefully written, aimed at respecting the individuality of every student while helping teachers recognize developmental patterns that may or may not make you want to pull your hair out.

reason #801

Children must play. I will continue to say it until I'm blue in the face. THE FINS ARE ALWAYS RIGHT!

reasons #700-800, see: finland

An excellent article comparing the U.S. (and Norway) to Finland.

"There's no word for accountability in Finnish," he [Sahlberg] later told an audience at the Teachers College of Columbia University. "Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted." 

...Since the 1980s, the main driver of Finnish education policy has been the idea that every child should have exactly the same opportunity to learn, regardless of family background, income, or geographic location. Education has been seen first and foremost not as a way to produce star performers, but as an instrument to even out social inequality.

Ms. Haley's back

The past two weeks have been restful and energizing, which I didn't fully realize until the third time someone said, "Wow! You are so... happy!"

I know that my energy isn't going to last long, but I am going to do everything I can to stay away from the "survival" place that I was in before the break. It's a dark, dark place and I don't want to go back. Talking to a 2010 TFA corps member today was really helpful. She reminded me that it's better to go home when school is finished and then get an hour of solid work done ...rather than work until 7 out of guilt. Best of all, she assured me that this year teaching will be my life. Next year, it will be my job.

I can't wait for next school year! More importantly though, here is to a productive, healthy new year.