New World

I survived the first 2 days of school. This new world of 4th grade is SOO different from Kindergarten. They are independent in so many ways that I often forget that they are still kids who have limited abilities in many ways. They have such specialized knowledge and very little generalization! But they already know where everything is at school. They know how to walk in a line, use their napkins/tissues and how to read/write sentences! I can ask them to write about a topic and they CAN....on their own! Ok, ok, so they don't always spell things right and they often leave out punctuation.....but its better than Kindergarten!

I think my biggest worry is that I will baby them and not push them hard enough. They seem pretty advanced and smart compared to K students! I know the skills they are supposed to learn from me according to my curriculum guide, I can figure out what skills they need to get ready for that curriculum.....but I DON'T know where they are going from here so I don't have a clear idea of where to push them to next.

But so far, I'm enjoying the year. I have a few grumps, a few helpers, and a few socially awkward kids. But all in all they are a sweet class and I think it will be a good year. Ask me again in 2 weeks and I may have a different story to tell.