Goodbye Summer- Hello Fresh Start!

I cannot believe summer is almost over! I feel like I have barely done anything...well except lay on the couch and drink Gatorade. I have had school dreams all summer, but recently, my dreams have shifted away from showing up the first day and realizing I forgot to set up my classroom-- into more of meeting my students and surviving the first few days.

I am excited for:

-A fresh start. The beginning of the year is so awesome because everyone is pumped for the new school year and ambitions and ideas are flowing through people. It is a chance to try new ideas or revise old ones.

-This will be my second year as a teacher! It isn't a lot of experience, but I feel slightly more confident knowing that I am not a 1st year teacher anymore. There is still a lot I need to learn, but I feel like I have grown a lot in just my first year.

-My team. Some staff members were moved around and I am beyond STOKED for my team next year. I have a teammate that is pregnant and due in October, so the first few months will be neat to go through our pregnancies together. The other two are just awesome. I feel like our team will really mesh well together, share lessons and be a strong support structure.

-Getting out of the house. I have been a lot better the past few weeks about getting out of the house, but when I go back to work- it will be nice to have a purpose again. (don't get me wrong, I am going to LOATHE waking up to an alarm clock)

-My second trimester. :) I will begin my second trimester right before school starts and I am just soooo stoked by this. Then, a month into school I should find out the gender of my little baby!!! :) 

I am nervous for:

-Making strong connections with my students. Last year, I feel like I had a genuine relationship with most of them and that my room was a safe place. I worry about not being able to do that this year. I don't have any real reason why, I am just nervous that because they know I will be taking a few weeks off in January/February, they might be more guarded and not want to get to close to me.

-Taking a maternity leave. I always wanted to time my pregnancy at the end of the school year so I could miss as little of school as possible, but (1) the end of the year is such a great time to celebrate, I'd hate to miss it (2) with how crappy I've felt, I couldn't be more thankful that I was on summer break for my 1st trimester. I just have A LOT of anxiety about leaving my classroom for a stranger.
   I worry that:
     (a) the kids won't take it serious and will goof around
     (b) the teacher wont have all of the resources that he/she needs to be successful
     (c) I wont be able to relax because I will be worried about my students/classroom
     (d) I will have to do damage control when I return
     (e) There is a chance they would be taking the first part of ISTEP without me. This may stress me out the   most.

-Just being out of the loop. Getting behind is not something I like to do and being out of the building for several weeks will probably feel a bit overwhelming when I return.

-Graduate school. I haven't figured out what I want to do, but I am in a cohort where the same people take the same classes until the program is over. It is 6 credit hours (2 classes) a semester, and I don't know if its realistic for me to do that in the Spring semester when I'll have a newborn. (AHHH...I'm going to be a mommy!!!) :)


I could go on and on with all that I am excited and nervous for, but I think this is good. (for now) :)