Reentry is rough friends. This is my mantra for the first weeks of school.
1) I think I have such a tricky time with reentry in part because of the artificial lighting in my classroom. All of my classes are in room 21, which I love, but there is no natural light in that room, so it takes me a minute to adjust to the lack of sunlight.
This is a picture of my kitchen, my work area at home. Do you see all of the natural light? After spending the majority of summer break at home, spending days without natural light at school takes time to get used to.
2) The second reason reentry is rough is because I always start off feeling less than; I might need to get off Twitter. One day during the first week of school this is what I was met with via Twitter:
The fabulous Carol Jago tragically says, “Students feel unseen, anonymous, until the teacher learns their names.” No pressure, right? Look at the young woman (3rd comment) who brags that she knows all of her students’ names by day 2. Day 2! Well, right there I feel like a failure. Is the self-worth of my students determined by my ability to have a functioning short-term memory? Geez, I hope not.
3) Finally, this year reentry is particularly rough because I’m teaching juniors in English 3 for the first time in seven years and I’m alone. I am creating and planning curriculum for English 3 without a buddy, and I am out of my comfort zone. I’m used to collaborating. In my soul I am a people person, so planning this class has been a little scary and lonely.
I can see the light though. Or, I’m literally getting used to the light, and I mostly know all of the kids’ names. Plus, I’ve got a plan with juniors: keep them writing and engaged. And, I’m happy to report that I’m already sort of killing it with this group.
I just keep telling myself that I’ve got this. But, I’m not going to lie. Reentry is rough!