We had Back to School Night ("BTSN") last week. J. couldn't make it, so I had to fly solo. That definitely put a little more pressure on because normally I can sit back and let J. take in all of the nitty gritty details. Here are a few of the things that I noticed during my "exciting" night out:- The rooms were decorated like crazy. I don't think I could ever be a teacher because I would flunk whatever course teachers have to how to decorate a classroom. To be a teacher, you have to cram stuff into every square inch of "real estate" on the walls of your classroom. Take a look at the picture above: In this small section of wall, we have numbers, the alphabet, the State Flag, world map, visual display of the school's goal statements, and a couple vocab displays. You can barely see the wall itself. And yet it all looks so good! My hat is off to Ms. V. (S.'s teacher)!
- I love how the teacher managed to incorporate a basketball into her classroom decorations. She gets extra credit for that in my book! (Notice how none of the important details escape my attention...)
- I was surprised at how many dads showed up. I wasn't expecting there to be that many, but I think it's definitely a good thing.
- I panicked before I arrived and had to call J. to ask her what I was supposed to ask the teachers.
- We got to sit at our kids' desks during the presentation. Their desks are much cleaner than my desk at the office!
- I really enjoy seeing the projects that my kids are working on displayed in the classroom and at their desks.
- The teachers gave us all of the materials for the kids' classes in English, in Spanish (this is California after all!), on the overhead projector, and then went over them orally.
- Even so, I'm glad that I didn't have to take a test on the materials at the end of the night!
- I dutifully took all of the materials home for J.'s file. Even though she couldn't make it, I know she'll know what to do with it!
All in all, I'm excited for the new school year. I have a 4th grader and a 2nd grader this year. I still have fond memories of my 4th grade teacher (Ms. Finney) and 2nd grade teacher (Ms. Cadenhead). I hope that this is a great year for my kids and that they too can have fond memories of this school year 30 years from now.
How did your BTSN's go?
(Mom, you don't have to answer...you have earned a well-deserved rest from having to attend this event!)
i love this post.
ReplyDeleteI think you should forward this post to Mrs. Cadenhead and Mrs. Finney. I think it would make them smile! Where did the years go? I loved those Back to School Nights!
ReplyDeleteI, too, loved my 2nd and 4th grade teachers.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young it was the thought of decorating each year that had me considering an el. ed. major. But then I grew up without a sliver of wall-decorating creativity so my dreams were shattered.
My personal favorite of this post is No. 4. I cringe at the thought of sending my husband to one of these types of things without me...It sounds like you did well, though!
I would love to be a teacher. I can just picture all of the crap I could cram into small spaces!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea you lived in CA! For some reason, I thought you lived in Utah. Lance, Blakey, The Mummy and I will be arriving to visit for an extended stay on your couch. You're so close..
Thanks for the props on at the Mummy. I see no point in displaying owls and glittery bats. Go scary or go home! What a bunch of chicks.
Kaari!
ReplyDeleteIf I were a teacher, I would beg you to come decorate my classroom walls!! My students would be very lucky if you accepted!
I'm still not sure what owls have to do with Halloween. I don't think Ashley has a satisfactory answer for that one. But I think that maybe my favorite piece on Ashley's porch was the black sparkly pumpkin. ;)
It's an honor to have you comment on my blog. You're welcome back any time!
Em--
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited to have so many accomplished bloggers comment! I really did panic for a second, but it all worked out (fortunately). I honestly don't know how parents can be expected to process so much information all at once!
You have to let us know what you decide for Damita's costume!
PS--I'm sure you're a lot more creative than you claim to be. Your blog wouldn't be interesting if you didn't have some decent creative talents.