first days of school

I want a do-over. Thursday and Friday were a learning experience for me. Like, I had no idea. I'm not sure why but I figured on the first day we would make our art folders and talk about expectations. Ha. That worked okay in a few classes. But I see 11 very different groups of students, in groups of 20-32 kids, grades 6-8. Each class comes to art every other day. The 6th & 7th graders came in on Thurs &  Fri. with a good attitude, and the 8th graders have been "running the school" for 2 years.

I've student taught &  subbed in this classroom a lot over the past few years, but this is the first time I've had a real "first day of school" - I'm sure we will be successful, and I feel like it's going to be fun getting these 8th graders to behave nicely. Monday's a new day.

I need to make a poster with my classroom rules & teach those rules, and make those 8th graders practice. Oh and procedures. We need a routine in 8th grade. I might make our perspective lessons very easy because I might need more time to work on appropriate behaviors in class.

Up until Friday night I think I was just in shock. My position here is long-term substitute. I am the teacher, probably the whole year.

 We have new administration this year. Our new principal is like an education evangelist. It's amazing. All these teachers who looked so tired and beat all these years are perky and smiling and every time he talks we're giggling like kids in a candy store. Basically, on Monday, everything changes for this school. He's going to explain it all Monday.

The other teachers gathered in the halls comparing notes Friday after school. Well, me and the ESL and the Family &  Consumer Sciences teacher. And a different lady too, not sure what her name is, I need to find out. She said, did you notice the noise level in the hallways has dropped compared to last year? Last year they would have been yelling and bounding around and pushing each other. This year the Hallway Nazis are watching.

This might take a little time. I stood out there saying over and over again, please walk on the right side of the hallway. Please, keep on the right side. Right side of the hallway please. It sort of worked. The 8th graders would bunch up to go around me on the right but then there would be a wave of bodies which bulged out to take up the left side too. But one of the outdoor duty teachers said thanks for keeping them on the right side to me, she said it helped her get through the hallway going against the tide of kids. Some of them don't like the new changes. "Why do we have to walk on the right side?"
it's a rule
"Rules suck"
Yeah whatever, kid. Wait till Monday you're gonna be amazed. But we might need some highway cones.

I love it. I have been sad about this school for years. My now 12th grade son was here, and it made me sad, there was sort of an order, but it was spinning outward, spiraling out of control. He had some trouble here. For the past several years, the administration has been sort of letting the inmates run the asylum. Everybody knows it. I had an experience last year where I chased a student down for dropping candy in the hallway, loudly stating, "Oh, I'll pick that up later!" and not putting it in the trash, and basically during the time all this played out, I got scolded for trying to do my job and the kid just frolicked away like a kid in the candy store.
I don't feel like that is going to happen anymore.
I hope not anyway.

For cuteness, here are the first day of school pics. I missed a boy but I'm not sure where he was. I think he was gone already. I never see him anyway.