Preparations Begin

I've got my Teacher's Daybook. It's just as fabulous as I remember. Well, the reflection, tips and ideas are just as great as I remember. The amount of space for writing your daily lesson plan has shrunk. Basically, it's because that space has now become a simple "you are here" space and the actual lesson plan is written on an additional page. I'm not so sure about it, but the planning checklists, reflective actions and personal vs. professional planning areas are still great. I also like that there is a year at a glance page, as well as monthly planning. This is in addition to the daily calendar.

This year, our department is doing a yearly plan of novels. I know this is the antithesis of our departments "fly and be free" environment, but a couple of things happened last year to make it possible. First, one teacher used a book that is for a specific grade level in a class with multiple grade levels. Thus, I couldn't teach it at all and a couple of students read it twice in another class. Whoops! Also, the most vocal "fly and be free" proponent retired.

I'm really going to try to remain organized throughout the year, but I'm determined to start out the school year with at least the first month planned out. At least. I even took the step of asking the janitors to check to see if there was a smaller desk for me. I have two. One for the computer and generally all my notes, personal stuff, etc. The other desk holds supplies and files in the drawers and collects piles of crap all year long. No matter how much I try, I cannot get it cleaned off - neat stacks of papers, yes, but they're fairly precariously balanced. No more, I tell you! No more!