First of the 1st

Today was the first day of 1st grade for me. It went well....I think? To be quite it honest it was really more of a blur. Is it Monday? I don't even know. I can tell you, however, that my feet hurt and my brain feels tired. My eyes aren't wanting to open all the way either. There are 3 grown adults in our classroom of 21 six year olds and it takes every bit of the 3 of us to reign them in. Its a very strange feeling to get into my car at the end of the school day and hear...nothing. The sound of silence. I don't do music on the way home because my senses are on overload by then. I need my 8 minutes of peace on the drive.

It sounds like I'm complaining, doesn't it? I'm really not. My job is so fulfilling & there is never a dull moment. I truly love little people & the surprises that come out of their mouths. I have a student who is highly intruiged with all types of flying machines, mainly air

planes. I know this because I taught him last year. My favorite conversation of the day went something like this:

ME: I have a surprise for you at the end of the day if stay on your best behavior.

HIM: "Does it have wings?"

ME: "Mayyyybe"

HIM: "Does it have retractable landing gear?"

The boy is obsessed with retractable landing gear, rear rotor blades, stabilizers, etc. He blows my mind with his knowledge of aviation.

First grade is just the best. Learning to read was one of the greatest times of my life & now I get to do it all over again with these little ones. I vividly remember coming home with my paper pamphlets and sounding out "Pat can run" to my mom and dad. Children's books are my absolute favorite. Even grown-ups need to read them. There is a moral to every story. Learning letters and the sounds they make and how they blend together to make words...ohhh... I'm getting carried away, sorry. I know other people don't get as into this stuff as I do, but what can I say, I'm passionate!

So, today after 3 sets of tears, 1 band-aid, 20 minutes of recess, 1 bad word, 2 calls to parents, 1 time-out, 21 popscicles, 1,000 legos, and a couple late busses later, we finally called it a day. Whew.

I came home to a summer storm, oatmeal raisin cookies, and trashy monday

night TV (Bachelor Pad). Ahh, yes. I haven't left the couch. This is how I am gearing up for another day. Wish us luck. We need it!

Caroline