Back to School!

I am finding it very hard to get back into the routine after my time off with my baby girl, Addysen, and Christmas break. Although it is great to see the first graders, I find my mind wandering and focusing on how my kids are adjusting to being without me on a daily basis and how much I miss them. The first graders are excited to see me and bombard me with questions about my new baby and when they will get to meet her. I make a mental note to myself that I need to have my husband bring her in next time he is in town so that they can atleast see her. Not much has changed in the six weeks I have been gone, as far as the daily routines go. I am eager to make the rounds in the classroom to see how individual students have progressed because I can tell that some of them have made tremendous gains. The first week back from break, my mentor started family journals. I am really excited about this having sees examples of journals from previous years. They are great! Each week the children use their journals to write a letter to someone in their family. They then bring the journals home and have that person write back to them. It is really neat to see the dialogue and correspondence that takes place, as well as how the children improve in their writing. I honestly can't believe we are starting residency next week. I feel very overwhelmed, but atleast now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that I am on the homestretch to graduation!