School is back in session!

Today was the first day of school and I couldn't be happier with the way that it went.

My busy weekend helped to keep the nerves away until last night. I felt exhausted, but the second my head hit the pillow, my mind started wandering. I went through my to-do list in my head, I wondered what the kids would be like, I thought about old students, and I went through my schedule over and over again. And when my alarm went off, I struggled to get out of bed, but...

...the day couldn't have gone better. My roster had 19 students listed (a great number as far as I'm concerned) and just two joined us later in the morning bringing the count to 21. Most of my students were quiet and reserved, as was I (minus the good mornings and hellos). One or two seemed on the verge of crying, but never fully broke down, which was good.

They did a great job walking into the classroom, anxiously wanting to check out their desks and the classroom. I kept remarking on what a good job they were doing, encouraging the listening and following of directions. A parent dropped off their student late (coincidentally the younger sister of a former student) and remarked that I really knew what I was doing since all the students were in order and remained quiet as I answered her questions.

The day continued much in the same way as the morning. A few students started to test me, but I immediately put them in check, just being sharp and sending them to their desks. Their behavior improved and I thanked them for that.

There's not much academics on the first day, mostly rules and procedures, but the little that we did showed me that this group is very capable. One student has a lot of enthusiasm and made great comments throughout the day. He commented that everything was EXCELLENT and at the end of the day, he told me that he was going to miss me when he went home. He definitely won me over already. :)

I'm also happy to have a former student, who was retained, in my class again. While he does a lot of talking, it's nice to have a familiar face and a student that I know I can rely on.

I'm really excited about this group, I just hope that they remain as respectful as they were today, with me and with their peers.