Getting the Hang of It......

Tomorrow we will wrap up our third week of school, and I'm getting into the swing of things. Every year is new, and every group of kids is different, particularly at our school. I still shudder to think back on that horrid first year..... Yikes. At least we have some room to pick and choose these days. These are the things I'm getting down pat so far:

• I'm learning which students you can joke around with.
  
• I'm also learning which students you should NEVER joke around with because they take that as a sign that you are friends with them, which I am definitely not.
  
• I already know that my 3rd period class is one time during the day I will have to get up and walk around the room, perhaps even pulling up a chair behind two students and doing my work in my lap, as I had to do today. Need I remind you that these kids are supposed to be engaged with their computers?
  
• I know which students are going to log off and pack up their belongings 10 minutes before the end of each class period.
• I'm figuring out which students are probably going to be late every day and which ones are going to write "Late" on their tardy slips on the line where they are supposed to give a REASON for being late.
• I know which students shouldn't be allowed to go to the restroom at the same time.
• I'm catching on to which students are going to consistently violate the dress code and then be pissed off if we ask them to fix it.
• I am aware that some students feel a sudden urge to go to the bathroom because some things just can't be conveyed in a text message and they actually need to talk. Oh, and text messaging is against the rules also.
• I know which students are going to stand out in the hall yakking until someone (usually me) comes out there and runs them into the classrooms.
• I know that subtlety is absolutely lost on a certain faculty member, and we are going to have to employ the sledgehammer technique with him.

Happy Friday tomorrow!