Second Grade

So, I'm going to be teaching second grade this year. This means I will have taught the same group of kids in kindergarten, first grade, and now second grade.  Don't get me wrong, I love these kids, they are obviously special to me, but I'm ready to experience getting a NEW group of kids at the beginning of the year, not just a new mix of the same kids. It would also be very nice to be able to have JUST ONE year where I am not living day to day in survival mode. I cannot even begin to tell you how incredibly hard and frustrating it is having to learn a new curriculum every year. How the heck am I supposed to become a better teacher if I never get the chance to improve on what I did the year before?!? Apparently I'm not supposed to. Apparently I am going to be just a decent teacher forever, but never a really good one ... I think that's really sad. I think I have the potential to be a great teacher someday, but at the rate I'm going, I'll give up teaching before I ever get there ...

I'm trying to focus on the positives, but I'm incredibly sad that I don't get to teach first grade again (thus, it's not going very well thus far). I LOVED first grade :(  But, I guess you don't always get what you want ... and if you're me, and you teach at my school, you never get what you want ... oh well.

Anyway, you know how much I love my lists, so I'm going to make a list of the positives about this grade level change. This is more for my benefit than yours, but read ahead if you want anyway:

- no need to be nervous about new kids, I already know ALL of them

- One of my most favorite kindergarteners will be in my class again this year

- 3 super sweet kids from my first grade class will be in my class again

- I only have 17 students!

- I already know where these kids are academically, so even though I don't know anything about teaching second grade, I know where to start

- the new things I planned this summer will still work for second graders (and may even work better with second graders): Daily 5, CAFE, Words their Way, Units of Study

- My classroom library that I worked on ALL summer can still be used

- The kids will actually be able to read more of the books in my classroom library so they will be better utilized

- I'm not teaching 5th grade (which was a seriously concern for awhile there!)

That's all I can think of. 

I'm not ready to start work on Friday. I have yet to make it through more than an hour without starting to cry. How am I supposed to make it through a whole day around other people?!? 

I'm a mess ...   :(