Missing in Action

Can I get a redo?

It's Snow Day, which means I am sitting in my pajamas instead of teaching. As much as I love having some time off, it really gets me thinking about this year. My beautiful blog that I started this last summer completely got left and neglected way back in September. I meant to come back to it, I really did, but like laundry you decided not to do, it began to pile up on me and then it was too late. Well not anymore, with only a month left of school, I am going to catch myself back up and make a blog I can be proud of. (Or at least not cringe when I think about my blog.)

So let's start at the beginning: Why I left my blog. (Also known as my excuses.)

As I had mentioned in one of my blog posts this year we got a new principal and a new Teacher Evaluation System. While I knew it was going to be a challenge for me, I had no idea the stress of figuring out this new system would have on me. I spent hours and hours combing through documents, emails, and pictures to try to "prove" what a good teacher I am. Looking back I really should have just relaxed because I know that I'm a good teacher, and my new principal, who I love, also saw that. My evaluation turned out great, but I feel silly for the amount of stress and worry I put myself through.

In addition to my stress over my evaluation, I also got "the class." As in the class that made me scratch my head, brainstorm, rebrainstorm, ask every teacher/mother I knew, plan, make different plans, and start again. While I don't like to complain, I'll just say a combination of factors from parents not caring, no work ethic, severe behavior issues, low motivation, even lower math and reading scores, and an apathy for learning from a large chunk of my seventy five students, led me to constantly try to figure out how to get through and truly teach this group of kids. While I wish I could say that I worked miracles and now have the BEST group of students, I will have to settle for saying that I truly tried everything I could think of and then some. I would be lying if I didn't say that my students improved, because they have. ALOT! But I still don't feel like they are where I want them to be. I'll keep saying my prayers and keep at it and hopefully by the end of the year...

And my last and most happy reason for neglecting my blog... I got engaged!!! My wonderful boyfriend of three years, proposed to me the day before Thanksgiving. Like all engaged women, I have completely been consumed by wedding planning. While the wedding planning is far from being done, we are getting married next January, I am recommitted to getting my blog going.

So with my excuses in the open for all to see, I am back and will do my best to get my blog back to a happy place!