Um, well, so much for keeping up to date on my teaching blog! I was just reading this fantastic blog by another middle school teacher and somehow stumbled upon mine. Yikes. In my defense, I must say that this has been an incredibly busy year and I am amazed at how quickly it is flying by!
I have been enjoying the year as an 8th grade teacher. I have been teaching for several years, and rarely have I taught the same thing two years in a row! I feel like a first-year teacher every year! I guess that is to be expected, however, when one teaches in a small school. (Other than the resource teacher and our ESL teacher, I am the ONLY 8th grade ELA teacher!) I am truly hoping that all I am doing this year will only make next year that much easier.
One thing that I have been doing this year is using some ideas from Rick Morris's New Management Handbook. (I'm not sure of the legality with linking to his page, but you can check it out using a simple search.) I color coded all of my classes and numbered my kiddos. It is working pretty well...as with any new system, you have to try it out and see what works best for you.
One point that Morris made in his book really stuck with me. He stated that being organized was a sign of being in control. That has been a huge challenge for me and so I am working diligently this year on keeping on top of paperwork and all the other classroom management "stuff." (I will post some pictures of what I have been using.)
