First Grade Angst

O.K. for about a week now, I've been working really hard on getting over my fear of 1st grade! Yep, that's right, I can handle those hormone driven teenagers just fine, but put me in a room with 5 and 6 year olds and I feel a finger of fear run down my back. What does one DO with 1st graders? They don't really get the rules, because they haven't "done" full day school before. Telling them to read the directions won't do, because they can't read yet. You see, I'm supposed to teach them that skill. They've never eaten lunch at school, so they don't know about buying lunch, the choices they have, and whether they want milk if they packed their lunch. To be frank, I've don't know about this stuff either, because I've never taught in this school. So, the idea that I'll be in charge is sort of like the blind leading the blind!

I mean in 8th grade the kids came well aware of the routine. They'd been in Jr. High for a year, they know the building and the routine, it's easy. They have to be told the rules, and those have to be followed, but other than that, piece of cake. When 8th graders don't feel good, they know enough to make it to the bathroom before they are sick, and I've never had an 8th grader have a potty accident (thankfully). 8th graders go to the office with money and notes, and stuff like that, and they have the lunch routine down just fine.

So, when thinking about 1st grade, I get a little overwhelmed. I did work in the building where I'm moving before, so I know the lay of the land and a lot of the staff. When I met with a couple of teachers to find out more about what I needed to prepare for, they told me I'd have to go with the kids to lunch because the trays are too high, and they'll pull them down on their heads. What???? The lunchroom is not appropriate for the kids it serves? Hmmmmm, maybe I'll have to raise a fuss about this...but wait, not so fast!

You see, this year I have to behave myself. I'm working for a new boss, and there are different rules in this game. I have to follow the schedule, give all the assessments, file all the important stuff and keep track of these things so I make sure they get done. I can't go around tilting at windmills and raising a ruckus about every little injustice, or I'll never be able to keep up.

I suppose grading papers will be easier, I mean these kids aren't going to write an 8 page research paper, but what kind of grades do they get? They get some sort of grade, right, but not the typical A, B, C grade system. See, there's another thing I don't know.

If I just wrote about all the things I don't know, well the list would probably go on forever, but there are some things I do know, and those are going to make the year a great year. You see, I do know that these kids will want to have fun learning. They will want to make me happy, and work hard to please me. They will be excited about EVERYTHING, and I'm pretty sure they'll think I'm beautiful! I know that I have some very cool ideas about things I want to do with these kids. I believe that I have done enough research and reading to handle the developmental issues these kids face, and I'm pretty sure that mom and Mimi training will come in right handy. I imagine that there will be times when I forget that I didn't want to take this job, and find myself fitting right in. So, perhaps what I don't know isn't as important as I thought. I guess I'll just put on my new shoes and go to school.