first day in the first grade

i really like 1st grade. ryan asked me if i liked it better than 3rd grade, but the jury's still out on that one.

i had a really great day today. it was kind of a weird day because we didn't have all of our extra classes that they usually go to, so i had to entertain them. that was fun. our real schedule starts on monday, but until then i found some stuff that i can teach during those times. i am LOVING my aide. while i taught this afternoon, she got everything ready for them to go home, so all i had at the end of the day was give them their folder to put in their backpack. i could so get used to this. and my class is so good. sure i have a couple of talkers, but when i give them something to do, they do it. those poor babies were so tired, though. one of them even fell asleep at his desk this afternoon! i felt bad, but if i can't sleep, he can't either!

right before school was over i let them play with math manipulatives. they didn't know what they were, so they had a grand time playing with linking cubes and base-10 blocks. ha! those poor little ones didn't know they weren't real toys. they just knew they were having fun.

the only thing that i did not count on was how much my feet were going to hurt. i wore flats on purpose, but at the end of the day i was wishing for a pedicure. ooh, that's a good idea. maybe i'll go get one anyway.

wanna hear something weird? i'm teaching a little boy (well they're all little) who's dad i went to high school with. that's just weird to me.

i sure do miss my 3rd-excuse me-4th graders, now. i saw them this morning and they all looked so grown up. i know this is nothing like the real thing, but when i saw them i thought, "why can't they just stay in 3rd grade?" i'm such a weirdie.

i do hope that this group of 1st graders is as funny as my kindergarten kids and 3rd graders were. those kids cracked me up, especially kindergarten.

i'm tired now and ready to sleep. good night.