Back to Fifth Grade

It has been a year since I've posted.
And what a year it has been.

My last post was letting everyone know I had decided to move to Kindergarten to give it a shot. It might have come as a shock to a lot of people I have connected with over the years, and it was a bigger shock to some of my colleagues. Feeling like I wanting to try more inquiry and have a more student-centered space are big factors that drove my decision to move.

And it took getting to Kinder and trying it out to make me realize just how much of an upper grades teacher I really am. I wanted to push myself to try something new. I was able to and I did. I am lucky enough to be in a district that lets me explore things I am interested in and supports me when I try to grow as a teacher.

Kindergarten was fun. It was fast paced, it was engaging and loving, but it was not for me. My own daughter was in my classroom this past year and there are so many things I wish I would have done differently. I feel in my attempt to not show her special treatment that I missed out on a grand opportunity to actually show her special treatment. I savored some of the chances, but overall with me being so new, I couldn't give it my all. I was pulled thin and our school just did not have the support system in place that we needed. It's all okay. I am glad for the opportunity to learn and grow, but it's time to get back to what I really love doing.

Our incoming fifth grade class is one of the largest groups in our building. I am moving back to fifth grade (remember that really awesome "last year" with my looping kids in fifth?) to teach reading and writing. I could not be more excited -- well, actually I probably could be if this COVID-19 Pandemic wasn't a thing.

We still aren't sure what the new school year will look like. For now, I am working hard on finishing up my Masters presentation. We present in about a week and a half and then I will officially be finished with Graduate School! I am also spending my time thinking and reading about how to engage kids virtually. I am looking at the resources I've used in and out of each year and working on making them available digitally. Honestly, I don't want to be all online, but I feel that it's the safest option for us at this point in time. I do not think it will be available for us, but I wish it was. 

Keep an eye on this space as grad school slows down and I am able to go back to sharing what we do each day in the classroom. I hope you all are well and safe!