And the whole thing begins again...

Well, I am no longer a first year teacher. I actually lost that tag mid way through last year but held onto it because, well, it was a safety blanket 'Hey, it's only my first year!'. Some days, I assume like other new teachers, I felt like I had been teaching for years, things just magically worked and it all felt good. But then, there were those other days when banging my head on any hard surface seemed like the necessary action required. As I progressed, those days became much fewer, but every so often one would creep up out of nowhere and all my anxieties would come out. But you know what? Maybe it's not a bad thing to feel anxious, maybe having those feelings of 'Am I doing this right?' are needed in order to not become complacent... who knows. Those horrible, horrible days though have made me stronger and I am thankful for them (I'm sure there will be many, many more!)

I must say, I can't wait to go back to school tomorrow. I am looking forward to this year. I look back on 08 and I realise that wow, I learnt so much and actually didn't do too bad of a job. But whilst I can acknowledge the good work I did, I can also see where I stumbled, where I need to lift my game and what I need to do to become a more effective teacher. This year comes with many challenges, a 3/4/5 class for starters. I've also taken on a more active role with other activities. I can't wait to see how the year unfolds, but I am sure that when 2010 comes around, I'll be able to look back on '09, see my progress and hopefully identify what I need to do to lift my game.

Until next time,
Miss K