A Well-Oiled Machine

Today, finally – for a brief period of time – my classroom began to feel like a well-oiled machine. It’s the 3rd week into the school year, and it’s taking some time, but I think we’re finally beginning to get there. By the end of last school year, my students knew exactly what I expected from them and what they needed to do, but now that it’s a new year and I have a new batch of kids in 3rd grade, I have to take a few steps back and help them adjust to my expectations and routines. I often have to remind myself that they are really just 2nd graders trying to be 3rd graders and it'll take some time before they can fully function as 3rd graders. But they’re getting there. Today we actually accomplished what we needed to in the amount of time I had allotted for it. They’re learning to work a little faster, to sit a little longer, and even to play a little harder at recess time. They still cry sometimes when they get out in P.E. or when they don’t do well on a test. That’s expected – but hopefully soon my classroom will be the well-oiled machine that it’s meant to be.

Some Pictures of My Students in My Classroom