2016! It's flying by...

2016!
This year is going so fast that I already feel as though I'm trying to catch up. Term one is almost coming to end and it feels as though it is my first year all over again.  Although I am definitely more relaxed about the amount of work that is required because I know more this year, It is still very overwhelming.

The part that sticks out the most so far this year is how different my class is from last year. I have stayed with the same year level so in my head that meant that I would be able to run my class in a very similar way to last year. First mistake for the year and it was a big one.  I am an organised person and felt that I was ready to go.  I was ready to go, but my children were not. They are so much younger than my class from last year and could not handle they level of work or the way it was being presented to them.  I used google docs often to send children work and they were on a self directed programme. Even though I introduced it slowly and in very small chunks, they were still not able to manage themselves. 
WEEK 5 is when I felt it all fall apart. It was just not working at all. The children were not achieving and I had not set them up for success. While this may seem like a negative, it was actually a huge positive. I recognised that what I was doing was not working. I could see where I needed to go but my main problem was that I couldn't see for the life of me, how to get there. I just couldn't see it. So, this led to conversations...with a variety of different people about a number of different things. 
I spent a number of hours talking with my collaborative 'buddy' about how she runs her programme and took a few ideas from there. Then I spent time talking with my team leader, she was able to give me a few ideas and so was my mentor. With a week full of talking about how I could change my programme I took the weekend to make some pretty large changes. I stripped my whole programme back to basics. Back to whole class teaching, all doing the same things at the same time. There are a handful of students who could possibly handle self directed learning but most can't. My next step is to figure out a way that some students can be planning their own day where others will not. Or maybe they can plan certain parts of their day. This part is still a little unclear for me but I can definitely see the way I need to go now. Baby steps in the right direction and checking progress as I go.  On top of that...
The thought of testing 29 children in three curriculum areas and reporting on every single one of them is freaking me out slightly but I am trying not to think about it too much just yet.

As the end of term becomes ever so close, I am reminded to think about all the things that I have been doing and not to focus on the things that haven't worked or that I haven't done.  

My first year is officially over

It's hard to believe that I have now been a teacher for a year.

This year has been full of ups and downs, trials and triumphs...but I made it, and so did the students in my class.

My biggest learning this year has been that you can't do everything at once and that if you try, you end up getting less done and the quality is less than desirable.  At times I really struggled with this because as the terms went on I felt like I should have been able to do more than I was. However, I was surrounded by people who encouraged me and told me to stay realistic about what is really achievable in a week.  This has been a very positive experience and the nature of the school and the people that make up the school have had a huge bearing on this.

The students though, are what make a classroom what it is.  I have been very lucky this year and the relationships within my classroom have been amazing. The families have been beautiful to work with and the children have responded well to me as a new teacher.  I have also had a very close relationship with my co-teacher, Belinda. She has been a crucial part of my year being as successful as it has been. Belinda was able to fill in the gaps that were left because of my inexperience or lack of knowledge in certain areas. Usually that was in the area of school procedures and events that have run for a long time with in the school. Unfortunately she is off to the south island next year and that will leave a rather large hole.  It's been such an honour to work alongside her and I have learned so much from her.

There have been many times where I have thought that maybe working part time was a cop out and that really, I should be working full time. On reflection I can see that it was absolutely the best way to go for me. It's not what I wanted at the time but it's what was on offer and I knew I needed to get my foot into whatever door I could. It has been great experience for me and given me time to ease back into working.  I have a daughter and I need to make sure that she is still getting the attention she needs.  I am a Mum first, a teacher second and that needs to stay that way.  I have had time to rest, soak in what I have learned and be the best I can be at this point in time.  As time goes on I will take on more responsibility with in the school context and this will be another learning curve. The learning will never stop, that is also something that has become very clear.

I have managed to do most things well this year and I'm pleased with the way I have finished. I've finished knowing that I have a full time permanent position to come back to in 2016.  The thought of having my own class to manage with out a second person is daunting but I do feel ready for the challenge.