No more buy-out!

Yeay! I didn't really want a buy-out (meaning I have 7 classes instead of 6, and get paid for the additional class and loss of sanity) to begin with, but didn't argue the point when I was initially reassigned to my new location. Last week as I have been working on things at school, I've accessed my class rosters a few times, and watched the numbers drop in my Level III class from 16 to 10--and this is before I have even had the chance to meet these kids and scare them off in person. Bummer about no Level III, although this is going to make my life a lot easier. The only problem now is that my schedule is lopsided--4 classes one day, 2 the next. I did that last year, and wasn't in love with it.

Last night as I was going over what I'm going to do tomorrow in class for the first day back, it occurred to me that this is the 9th time I've done this. It doesn't feel like I've done this 8 times already! I love the first day of school, and yet despite the number of times I've met a group of kids for the first time at the beginning of the year, it always makes me nervous. It's the proverbial "box of chocolates"--I never know what I'm going to get.

I'm trying something new this year. In the past, I have always started class off by using my voice to explain rule, procedures, my background, blah blah. I'm going to do something different this time. Chris (another ASL teacher) told me he started class with his Level I students "voices off" last year, and that it went beautifully. The kids got into what he was doing, and caught onto the signs he was teaching pretty quickly. I didn't realize how addicted I am to my voice. I'm going to take the plunge--here's hoping it works. =) I'm not worried about my Level I kids. They are "blank slates" and don't know anything different. It's the Level II classes that are keeping me up at night, because I have no idea where they are as far as skill level, and no idea what their expectations for Sign Language are. I'm anticipating a mass exodus--which wouldn't be bad at this point because I'm pushing 40 in those classes.

Well, I'm going to quit blabbing so I can get my beauty rest for school tomorrow.