It's the end of summer; first day of school in Ontario public schools

It is a poignant time of year for me, as a retired teacher. You miss the sense of commu
nity, having spent the week before in the school, meeting with colleagues, catching up on their summers.

Classroom Covenant

Preparing class lists, creating day books, tidying, cleaning, rearranging the classroom. Doing up bulletin boards. Staff meetings with endless new notions, not yet good ideas, from principals, who had already changed my assignment and/or my classroom, from a great one, to a punishing one. (Heaven forbid we speak truth to power!)

I adored working with the special needs students. We were a community. We respected one another in my classrooms.

I loved teaching art

How do you feel today?

Integrating technology

We wrote songs

Negotiating with parents, colleagues, psychologists who knew everything, giving me a checklist of 10 things to do with ADHD kids, 4 things checked off for this child's $500 assessment. (I had files of these!)

Framed poetry writing

Grabbing supplies, before they disappear, negotiating with the young teachers who have taken all of the new math books for themselves. Oh, yes. It wasn't all sunshine and light.

Rushing into the library to book a convenient time, creating a weekly schedule, fitting in a slot into the crowded computer lab.

Hoarding of supplies was common, which would soon disappear by the end of first term.

I taught gr. 4s web page design.
Everyone had their own page.

Bulletin boards prompts

 

We wrote plays, this one about
'caring and sharing.'

One of my student teachers created this poster,
explaining how to structure a paragraph.

My favourite first day memory was seeing my students line up in front of me. My gr. 6's were set to go. The parents standing, nervously wringing their hands. Watching their kids. Holding their back packs for them, filled with new supplies, lunches, important stuff.

Remember when we taught them skills?
This is Katie's step stool

Homework chart

I told the parents, smile, back up slowly and go home. I've done this before, don't worry, we're going to have a good year!

Crows

Everyone and everything seems to be lining up!

Birdies on the wire

Motorcycles

Then were are clumps of those heading back for home. Boats and seagulls...

Clumping seagulls in
Cardinal, Ontario

Grackles at The Cove Inn

Locks in Merrickville