Who Am I?

As you may have guessed, I am a first year teacher. I am teaching Primary and Grade 1 and have decided to blog about it because I suspect there are millions of others out there who are dealing with the same sudden, overwhelming feeling of incompetency that I am.

I started teaching in January 2008 but this is my first time in primary and my first time planning the entire year. I am known as an extremely confident person who is up for anything. I have traveled alone, been promoted in previous jobs, and taken on leadership roles in everything I have tried until this point. Then suddenly, I was thrown to the bottom of the heap.

The first few weeks were great. I managed to pull my classroom together in a weekend and my kids seemed like little angels. Then they became more comfortable. It started with a few little things: punching, knocking things over, tossing the crayons around. For a few students, their true colours emerged after about a month. How can a 5-year-old behave like such a little monster?

I am going to rate myself from 1 to 5 in what I consider to be the major aspects of teaching. 1 being "I can't believe they haven't fired me yet" and 5 being "This is a problem for some teachers?"

Planning :: 3
Parent Communication :: 4
Administration Communication :: 4
Getting Along with the Students :: 5
Behaviour Management :: 1
Being Accepted by my Fellow-Teachers :: 1
Self-Esteem :: 1

Basically: I assume that all other staff members think I am the most incompetent person to walk into the school but the kids and parents trust that I know what I am doing.

Let's face it though: our jobs are entertaining. I am sure you will all be able to relate to my stories and I encourage you to add your own. This blog isn't really for you...it's more of a therapy for me!