First Day Shoes

They must radiate professionalism but be reasonably priced. They must match any of the skirts I grab indiscriminately from the dark closet in the wee hours of the morning.  They must slip on easily without the aid of complicated straps, buckles, or zippers. They must be comfortable enough for extended periods of standing and walking. But most of all, Teacher Shoes must make the right noise.

Shoes by Unlisted

On the first day of school, the authoritative clicking of my shoes across newly buffed linoleum floors must be of just the right timbre to give me authenticity. I must sound like a teacher in order to feel like a teacher. The soundtrack of my heels prompts me to stand straight, square my shoulders and glare threateningly when necessary. Their echoes down the hallway are my auditory equivalent of wire-rimmed glasses and a bun.

The noise must also immediately establish to the students who is in charge. As I walk around the classroom, weaving between students’ desks, elaborating on the finer points of school rules, my shoes bark, “I [click] am [click] the [click] teacher [click].”

Click-clacks reverberating off the poster-covered walls must also delineate how the students are to behave. Don’t you dare pinch the girl next to you in the vicinity of shoes that sound like this.  Paper throwing will not occur in the class of a woman whose heels pierce the air with such certainty. And you can just forget about talking back when feet like these are within earshot.

Later in the school year, I am able to pull out shoes whose whisper invites students to grow as people and as intellectuals and to share in decision-making, but for the start of the school year, the best are those whose repertoire is simply: Get to work.  [Click].  Now.  [Click].

Day one down, and you can be sure I'm wearing those shoes again tomorrow!

Let the Cuteness Begin!

Tomorrow is the first day of school!

Of course, there's been tons of preparation leading up to the start of the new year, but there's always more to squeeze into the weekend before that first day.  Today I was getting everything finalized, making a few posters for the first day, printing nametags, and putting the finishing touches on my ridiculously detailed and lengthy first day plan.  The plan is for tomorrow to be organized, engaging, smooth, and exciting.  But it's also going to be just plain cute!

Throughout the year, I try to spend most of my energy making sure the work is rigorous, meaningful, differentiated, and interesting, but I must say--I just love me some adorable clip art.  There's just something about little tiny turtles (our class is the turtles!) crawling along the alphabet that absolutely cracks me up.

"Get it?" I'll want to ask every single child walking into the room tomorrow morning.  "They're turtles!  Climbing the cute, cartoony letters with their cute, cartoony legs!  And we're the turtles!"  I'll try to refrain, but will be very pleased if I get a couple of giggles out of that sign.  Oh, those little cartoony shells just get me.

The First Day of School

With the prospect of cursive looming ominously on the horizon, or the knowledge that math will now be a whole year more difficult, it’s no wonder students get nervous on the first day of school. Similarly, the prospect of having to deal with all of those anxious children all day who don’t even know yet where the glue sticks are kept is enough to make teachers jittery that first morning. Not to mention the fear that a few students will fail to abide by the First Day Statute of Good Behavior that says that everyone must be perfect on day one in order to impress their new teacher. There’s also the possibility that those recurring school nightmares that started in July will come true. Really, there are many good reasons for all involved parties to be nervous.

On the first day of school every year, I give students a survey about the first day as their homework assignment. One of the questions asks students to tell what their biggest worry was going into the classroom on that first morning.

my biggest worry was to not act up

knowing my math

I was worry about my test score

to make a real big mistake

name put on the board

When I thought I wasn’t going to make friends

That we would have to do a lot of homework

Whin I met my new teach I thot she wont like me

My biggest worry was spelling.

I thought I was going to have a mean teacher

Actually nothing


Wish me luck tomorrow!