FIRST WEEK

I survived the first week of school!  Actually, to be honest, it was a breeze compared to last year (more on that in a minute.)  I wasn't sure how I would like teaching 3rd grade, but it is great so far!  The students are much more independent than first and second graders- wow!  It does help that I know so many of my students.  Some of them had me for first grade, some had me for second, and even some had me for both first and second grades!

So here is what I am teaching this year:
3rd grade Math (same lesson to 2 classes)
3rd grade Science (same lesson to 2 classes)
3rd grade Health (once a week, same lesson to 2 classes)
3rd grade Social Studies (to one class)

Now, compare that with what I was responsible for teaching last year:
1st grade Reading
1st grade Composition and Language
1st grade Handwriting
1st grade Math
1st grade Spelling
1st grade Science
1st grade Social Studies
1st grade Health
2nd grade Reading
2nd grade Composition and Language
2nd grade Handwriting
2nd grade Math
2nd grade Spelling
2nd grade Science
2nd grade Social Studies
2nd grade Health

What a difference!!  I especially noticed the difference on our first weekend.  Last year I had to take home 8-10 hours of work on the weekends just to keep up with the district and state demands of teaching 2 grades at once.  This weekend, I only had 2 hours of work to do!  I hope the rest of the year continues to be this smooth!

I will have new challenges with third grade, of course, but considering how challenging last year was, I am truly thankful for this year.