For an update on the website issue...when I went to my school the other day, I met with the tech guy so I could finally get onto my computer at school and transfer files from my home pc. The computers at school are all macs, so the options are endless. As I was meeting with the tech guy, he told me about how they wiped the entire network over the summer, and reinstalled new software to all of the teachers computers. There are two new programs which really excite me: iChat and iWeb.
iWeb is a great, simple program that helps you create a website. Currently, the websites are available only inside the network, but he assured me that before school starts (in 2 weeks) they will be available on the real www! Yay, a website for my students....and one that I don't have to foot the bill for!
iChat is similar to AIM for lack of a better description. Within the network at school, the teachers can send a quick message via the computers rather than yell down the hall, or call on the phone (yes it does instill a bit of laziness). There is also a component of this software where you can have an audio chat, because apparently all macs have a built in microphone (the world of macs is fairly unknown to me if you couldn't tell already! 
) . The whole thing is pretty amazing...and being smart school administrators, they iChat is not available to students (we all know how that would end up 
)
It is somewhat sad that I am disappointed that I am unable to go back to school to work on lesson plans until next Wednesday. I think I'm turning into a 'teacher nerd' Oh well...at least I know that I went into the right profession! 
A few days ago, I met for lunch with my first-year mentor teacher, the other new teacher to our building, and two other teachers. The conversation was light, we were chit-chatting about the upcoming school year, and the tone of the school as a whole. For good or for bad, the 'veteran' teachers were telling us two newby's about certain students and other teachers. Now, I am not a catty person, I will take thier opinions with a grain of salt, while waiting to meet these people to create my own opinion.
The conversation turned to the interviewing process, during which I had to turned in a sample lesson plan based on a given standard. My 'mentor' teacher asked if my lesson plans always looked like that? Before I was able to respond, she then said because if they do, I'm not going to like you. What was I to say, I took this as a compliment about my lesson planning skills, however, I felt as though I just walked into a trap, because she did not have a 'just kidding' tone in her voice. From the other two teacher's comments, I guess that my lesson plan was showed to numerous staff members, I believe with positive intentions. I have no problem with the administration 'showing off' (for lack of a better term) my lesson plan, I am flattered. I am just feeling now that I must hide my work when the school year begins.
Well this past weekend my husband and I decided to complicate our lives a little more...we got a 10 week old pug puppy named Cosmo Kramer (actually just Kramer). He's adorable, and since he is a puppy he so extremely playful and rowdy. This is my first time ever having an inside dog, so every day has been a new experience for me 
, so far so good!
On a school note, I got into my classroom yesterday and took the first load of 'stuff'. As this is my first year teaching, I have been collecting classroom materials for a while now. Day 1 went extremely well, after my little sister (whom I brought because of her artistic side that I did not get) sanitized the entire room, the retired teacher in which I replaced was a pig in his desk...ewwwww! By the time we were done setting up my desk and bulletin boards yesterday, I left feeling like it is MY classroom!
I know it's korny for me to want the summer to end, but I am WAY EXCITED for this year to start...only a few more weeks to go! 
I wanted to say thank you to all who have posted, and I just figured out how to respond to your posts...I know I'm a bit delayed on this blogging thing!
I just found out over last weekend that a student from my school passed away over the weekend. I am nervous that since this is a small rural school (about 100 students in a big grade) the students will still have some effects of the trauma when school starts. I know that when I was in school we had some students pass away throughout the school year, but I was in a bigger school, and the school was able to provide services to anyone who needed to grieve.
Since this happened in the summertime, I don't know exactly what to expect....
But on a lighter note, I am able to get into my classroom now, so I can start setting up! The 'fun' stuff begins!
Well, I am new to this whole blog world, but I wanted to say that I appreciate the input about my first day of school on a block schedule. I am confident in my teaching/planning. It's just that first day! I am excited however for an activity we are doing first. I am handing each student a popsicle stick with an ordered pair on it. There will be a coordinate system in blue tape on the floor, and the students are to use their ordered pair to find their preliminary seats. I figure that this will not only allow the students to jump right into math, it will allow me to have a somewhat random seating chart until I get to know the students. I hope the students enjoy it!
I am considering starting a webpage for my classes. The school in which I student taught provided a web server where every teacher could make thier own page. Unfortunately, my new school does not have this service. Does anyone know a great place to create a website?
Friday, July 11, 2008, 6:24:14 PM
I know it is summertime, however, as the hot summer days are winding down, I am approaching my first year of teaching. I have been hired as an Algebra 1, and Pre-Algebra teacher at a rural school. The school is on a block schedule, which is something that I have not had experience with at this point. During my student teaching, which occured in the fall, rather than spring, semester, I was fortunate enough to experience the first day of school. But with 90 minutes on my hands, I am not certain if it is advisable to start material on the first day or not? My thoughts were to introduce one-anther, review the syllabus, introduce the students to my classroom policies, and do some ice-breakers/team-building activities, since I teach math with a large dependency on group work and cooperative learning. I was thinking of starting with some basic material in the last 1/2 to 1/3 of the block, incoorporating some of the activities we had just reviewed.
Should I stick to get-to-know you's? Or start with material?