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I got my first teaching job! I am going to teach language arts at a middle school in Anywhere USA! I am so excited! I can hardly wait! My room is so cute and all set up, ready to go. I have done everything they suggested in my college classes. I have my writers notebooks ready for the students to fill with their wonderful stories.

First day of school. So exciting! I looked really cute (and professional) thanks mom! Geeze! These kids are active! I am so excited that they are equally excited about school. I know we are going to have a great year!

Today I had to gie my first d-hall, well sorta. This one student kept bothering another student and when I asked him to stop he said that I wasn't his mom and I couldn't tell him what to do. NOt to worry, I did just as the experts suggest. I took him to the hall so we could talk. I totally understand about kids having to prove something when they are in front of their peers. When we talked he apologized. I don't think he'll do it again, so I didn't actually give him the detention. I am optimistic that I will see an improvement in his behavior; I really think we bonded.

He did it again, but this time when I took him in the hall he told me to go to hell. I am not quite sure what I did that made him so angry. I had to give him a d-hall. It just broke my heart!

What is going on in my classroom? I gave this really cool assignment about "What I did over my summer vacation." I had 25 of my kids not turn in their homework. Do they not have anything to write about? Surly they did something over summer vacation! The teacher across the hall just says that they are brain dead from TV and video games. I should hope not.

I don't understand why people hate the cafeteria food. I had to eat it this week because my refridgerator in my apartment went out. I may just start eating in the cafeteria all the time.

I was grading the student's writers notebooks according to that rubric that we made in one of my college classes, but when I opened up Michael's journal he had not one thing written down. Are you kidding me!?! We have been free writing for an entire six weeks and he has NOTHING!!! Maybe Mrs. Dansen is right. Maybe his brain has been taken over by TV and video games.

I regretfully admit that I am counting down the days until Thanksgiving break. I have taken home stacks and stacks of writing assignments to grade. I am tired. I have meticulously corrected their grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes and have pain-stakingly made insightful comments on each page, but I have yet to see any improvements in their writing. I mean seriously!!! How can you forget to capitalize the word English or Indian. That is so basic! I think I saw Michael throw his graded paper in the trash without ever having read the comments.

I love teaching! Today was so great! Sarah brought me some flowers that she cut from her yard. She gave me a huge hug and told me I was the best teacher she had ever had! I think I could do this forEVER!

Wow! I am kinda surprised how crazy a fire drill can be. During 3rd period, we had the first drill of the year. Apparently Mrs. Dempsy, the library aide, was popping popcorn in her electric popper and it started burning. Thankfully it didn't set off the sprinklers or we would have had a totally different problem on our hands. Note to self: Next time we have a fire drill real or fake in 3rd period I need to have a closer eye on Jackson. He is one of my "active" kids and while we were waiting outside to come back in, he gave wet wilies to everyone in Mrs. Baker's class, including Mrs. Baker. She wasn't too pleased. I can't quite figure out who she was madder at, Jackson for giving her the wet willy or me for not having him hog-tied down.

I haven't written in a while, I've been so busy! I have had four parent conferences and three ARD meetings. Can't a teacher just teach? Everything else has been going ok, but I have begun to notice a strange smell in my room just after lunch. I am not quite sure what it is. I know it isn't that icky smell boys get after they have been outside. No, it has much more punch to it. I guess I'll have to keep my sniffer open and try to figure this one out. 