overwhelmed good and bad
Wow. So this is what it feels like to be overwhelmed.
By this, I mean weird headachiness that starts at neck and travels throughout skull and rests right behind the eyes.
Not good.
On the otherhand, not bad. Just a symptom of all kinds of newness. And new things aren't negative at all, just a lot to handle.
It's been the first day on the job, although I'm minding kids not in their final arrangement. Today was one of these kinds of phase-in dealies that Montessori favors.
Wow. Back to kids. They really are all the same, all the world over. This bunch is just a bit more verbal than most of my past charges. The mixed age group is a challenge without all the materials out and about. I knew it was coming, but it's still a shock to have a 5 who's in the 3rd year at the school and then a 3 who doesn't even know where the bathroom is or how to use it...don't worry, no accidents on day 1, just some confusions about flushing (when and how). :)
So, on that note: Things to remember for procedures tomorrow and in the future:
Bathroom:
- We shut the door. Does it have to lock? NO.
- We make sure the toliet is flushed. If not, please flush it.
- How much toliet paper do you take? This much!!!
- How many times do we flush? 1!!!!
- Who can show me how to turn on the water? A little or a lot? A little!!!
- How much soap do you take? More than one squirt? NO!!!
- This is how you turn off the water. I do it quick to save water.
- This is how you take a paper towel. Two hands, tug. Start with one. Take 2 at the most. We need to save them coz they come from trees, let's not waste. (If you want to play with paper we have drawing and collage paper! Woo!)
Yup. yup. Also critical is me eating. I love ECE coz meals are family style and this is fun, but I hate that it messes up when the growup eats. It's hard to enjoy your meal when you have to get up to take care of spills and yogurts that won't open. Self-care, right? So tomorrow I eat a real lunch and hopefully avoid some of the head spinningness feelings. I also want to get to school even earlier to prepare my materials ALL ahead of time. It's been rainy today and I want plenty of indoor stuff to do if we are stuck inside for the morning. I'm putting off the planning until tomorrow. I htink out of stubbornness. Coz yesterday it was silly to plan the night before w/o knowing that the weather would be sucking.
I need to watch my interactions with the kids, keep it really positive. And UP MY ENERGY. But, down my talking. I felt really fatigued yesterday and it's coz I couldn't settle in coz my schedule got changed early in the morning (but only a few minutes before kids were arriving). So, I kind of spent the day feeling like I was holding on for dear life coz the day went so much differently than planned. But, it worked out. I just wound up changing my mind in front of the kids at least twice and I don't like that during the first week. Coz literally, I've never been to some rooms in this school that we wound up in. I guess that is my own lack of prep, I should see where class is held. It just wound up that a lot was up in the air...it will be clearer tomorrow. I am angry, though, at my admin for leaving things so loose without giving me more warning, but I'm also angry at myself for not planning for this somewhat obvious possibility. I'm also angry for taking a job where "flexibility" was stressed so much in the sales pitch. But, I didn't have that many other options, and my best other option would have involved tremendous flexibility, as well. So, I'd better keep that in mind!
So, to bed and I will plan when I can assess the sky. PS, headache feeling better! venting on that page is good medicine!
Labels: first-year teaching
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