Change....again


So this time last year I left the school, state, and grade level where I was teaching.  This time I'm staying at the same school and only switching positions so in theory it should be easier...right?  I keep telling myself this but a lot is going to be different next year.  For 6 years I have taught in the classroom whether it be grade 3, 4, or 5; inclusion with special education or gifted/talented; math and science or everything.  Now I'm leaving the regular classroom and I will be one of the school's two technology teachers. I will teach grades K-5 as a related arts/specials/elective teacher.  There are lots of good things about this (in no particular order)...

  1. Experience teaching the little ones.  Having only taught grades 3-5 this new position will provide some much needed experience teaching K-2 if I want to move into other positions.  Plus they are just so darn cute :-) ... when they're not having bathroom accidents, their hands aren't in their mouths or up their nose, etc.
  2. Opportunities to lead professional development.  I read blogs and spend way too much time on Pinterest (follow me here) so I have all these ideas swimming around in my head.  I love the opportunity to share them with others - friends, colleagues, new teachers, etc.  I already have the chance to present a session on iPads in Kindergarten with a K teacher at my school this August.  In this role, I should be posting on the blog more regularly.
  3. 1 subject to teach - just at 6 different levels
  4. No homework to assign (or grade)
  5. None of the paperwork that comes from being a homeroom teacher
  6. Only 45 minutes with each class - blessing and a curse
There are also some things that I'm not looking forward to....
  1. Teaching the little ones.  I think it will be a big learning curve on breaking everything down into smaller and slower steps.
  2. Breaking technology down in 6 different levels.  The NETS standards aren't very specific.
  3. Teaching 6 different grades and trying to integrate 6 different reading, math, social studies, and science curriculums.  It is a great opportunity to help support teachers in the implementation of Common Core standards but I just have to learn them all.
  4. I'm packing up my classroom library and math resources.  I love books. I love math. I must find a way to still pass on my joy for these subjects.
  5. Only 45 minutes with each class. Luckily classes come to technology twice in a 6 day rotation so I'm able to see them a bit more than the other related arts teachers.
  6. No kids that are "mine." I realize that I will now get to claim all the students at the school but I won't have the same relationship with them.
  7. Oh and did I mention that as of June I was actually going to change from 5th grade to 4th grade so my students just took stacks of things and put them in my new classroom and now I have to go through everything to decide what to send to storage and what to move to the computer lab?! Ahh!
Wish me luck!


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