A New Semester

Oh, a new semester has begun. The students are energized and ready to go, and so are the teachers. WRONG! As always, our break is never long enough. However, this year, our break was even shorter. Our last day was December 20. Teachers had to report back January 2 and students reported back January 3. It just seems to get shorter and shorter each year. At least we did go back to a three day week! So, that makes Friday come much quicker and faster! It seems with each break, we come back to school and beging to plan for one thing, the next break. Everyone is now counting down the days to King/Lee Day, then President's Day, and then the biggie, Spring Break! Everyone is already looking forward to all of these. This new semester does bring about some good things though. As teachers, we can all set goals. We can try a new teaching technique, and we could try new student motivations and involvements. At times, the break does seem to refresh us all. It gives us a fresh start, and a sense that we do not have long to go. After all, we are half way there! To you first years, the hardest is over. This semester will fly by. I have already been back in school three days and they have flown by. After all, remember, just one more week and then we get a holiday :)

Blogging

In the beginning, blogging seemed like a good idea. It was a way for all of us to stay in touch, and make sure that everyone was keeping "their sanity." In addition, it was a great way to get new and exciting ideas. We could see what techniques worked for people when it came to important issues such as classroom management and student achievement. However, as our second year comes to a close, blogging has become more and more of a challenge and a requirement. I use to enjoy expressing my thoughts and opinions on here, but now, it seems like we are all rushing to sit down right before the deadline to get these in. Don't get me wrong, blogging was a good thing, at first. Like I said, it was a means of communication and a way of "venting." Now, though, it becomes harder and harder. We have so much other stuff going on and we must try to find the time to submit a blog on some topics that we know little to nothing about or that we do not even care to write about. Thus, I believe that it might be better to end the blogging either after the first year or the first semester of the second year. This would make it better.