Today was the first day back to classes for all students in New York City.  This means that not only did my boys start school today but that I also got to meet my new seventh grade students for the first time.  I wonder if my students realize that I'm just as nervous as they are on the first day of school.     There are so many things that I think about as an educator including, whether I will have a profound impact on their academic development or whether they will enjoy being in my class...Of course, I'm sure that they are nervous about meeting their new teacher too, especially in my school where students get to have the same teacher for two grades.     This means that my entering seventh graders had the same teacher for fifth and sixth grade and obviously developed a bond with her over those two years that they were together.  Since I teach middle school, our students are departmentalized and switch classes throughout the day.  As a result, I have two classes with 31 students … [Read more...]