New Challenge: third grade

So... I am no longer a Kindergarten teacher. I now teach third grade. We only had enough Kinder kids for one class this year, so I got bumped. I was very very nervous at first. Kindergarten is my grade of choice and my comfort zone. So... here we go!

We are actually about to start our 4th week of school. I can't believe how fast the past month has gone! So far I have started to get into routine and I know what I am doing a little bit more. I still feel like I am faking it though... especially when it comes to parents asking me questions. I am trying to iron out my policies, figure out what a smoothly run classroom should look like, and just see what works for me.

I am starting to like it more and more and have come to this conclusion. Third grade will be easier to teach, but not nearly as fun. With third grade there is a lot less prep, kids can do more on their own and love to help, you are using less creativity and thus less energy to get everything prepared, and there is a lot of routine. But... Kindergarten is so much fun! I miss the creative activities, their joyous spirits (I mean come on.. they would ask me to assign homework because they loved it) and launch into long stories whenever I asked them how their day went. I still love seeing my old Kinder Kids around school. I probably get more hugs from them than I do my current students. That first class of mine will always have a special place in my heart.

That being said, I do think that I will enjoy the year. I am thinking of fun activities and learning experiences for them to break up the day. Here goes nothing :)