I'm now a bear.

A crockett bear anyway. I mean, I was hired a month or so ago, but yesterday I visited with all my fellow bears at a Crockett luncheon. I was hugged and squeezed and smiled at and told by many, "Oh, we are so very glad to have you."

I always think people don't like me for some reason. It's true! I never know what they think of me. So, it's so nice, when out of nowhere, some sweet teacher who had me in their room for only a little while, treats me like a best friend.

It's especially nice to find a campus that's so welcoming when I already taught at the best campus on the planet. In teaching, you gotta love the people you're working with. Because odds are, they're gonna find you sobbing at your desk at some point and you'll need to know they're on your side.

Anyway, after the lunch the 4th grade teachers met with our principal to discuss our schedule. I went in with a "schedule" that I thought might work, mainly because I was scared that everyone else would have something and I didn't want to look like I didn't care. My schedule was 5 hour-long classes with pe/music, lunch and recess thrown in there somewhere.

I'll spare you the 2 hours of debating between five hundred different ideas, to get to the point that I'll be teaching writing. For 50 minutes. To five classes.

writing.
50 minute classes.
five classes.

That sounds kind of similar...hmm...why...oh, yes, that's the exact thing I did at glenn for three years!

And it's pretty much the exact plan I hoped for. But better.
I'm used to teaching about 125 7th graders. I'll have about 80 4th graders.

So, needless to say, I'm relieved and excited and now I can't sleep at night because I'm trying to remember how I taught voice. Or if I need brads in their folders or not. And how I'll display their work. And how I can justify the purchase of both the fine and bold tip sharpie sets.

That last dilemma is really getting most of my attention right now...