Taking a deep breath and Feeling accomplished..

I am sitting in my classroom right now... as I type... It is First block on Thursday morning... and my students are actually Sitting, Quietly and Working!... I am speachless. This class has been quite difficult semester. They have been challenging the things I say and ask them to do and just plain... not listening... A few of the students have been particularly rude... INCREDIBLY rude, and disrespectful. Overall, the class has been very chatty. I am finding it very difficult to get them to cut back on the conversation so that they can better quality artwork.

Furthermore, I am getting ready for a trip to convention with The KEY Club. We leave tomorrow a.m.... and I've been nervous about today. There is so much I need to get done. I need to make sure my lesson plans are finished and clear enough that the sub can follow along. I need to make sure students understand their current projects clearly so that they can continue to work productively on them while I am gone, even if the substitute doesn't understand the project... <-- That's the teaching part. Other than teaching...tons more... the buss schedule, the check for our donation, my bags, the car driving the bags down, Phone numbers and procedures and the dress code... eeekkk...

So this morning when I woke up, I was (completely honestly) very uncertain of today... not dreading it but hesitant... Questions FLEW through my head as I drove to work.. Am I going to teach the lesson clearly enough that they will be able to work tomorrow? Will I  answer all of their questions?...these questions seem simple enough, but to be honest... they are daunting... And these questions are relevant for all my classes... Yes, I will be here tomorrow during my first class. I don't need coverage for them, and yet, the questions are still very much pertinent.


And now, I am sitting in my classroom... the class is actually working, and quite focused (not perfect but good!) And I am taking a deep breath... Writing this blog to get it out there! They are quiet and working and I am appreciating every moment of that. And as I "sign off" I am turning back to my "to do" pile... and I am feeling accomplished....