Hope all you teachers who had the summer off enjoyed it. NOW GET BACK TO WORK!!! hehehehe.. Just kidding.

A few of my teacher friends always dread this day with a passion just as if (s)he was a student returning to school after a nice, long-yet-fast-summer. I can only imagine it's like me spending a month in Spain on vacation and then returning late on a Sunday night and having to work the next morning. Ugh!

If anyone would like to share their "first-day-back" comments this is the place to do it. Thanks! Have a good year, teachers!!

Saludos, MadridMan

Hi MM

Well .. I'm not a teacher, but I do have three children and look forward to their return to school at this time each year.

BUT! This year, right up until the night before, there was a threat that the school would be closed for a further two weeks due to health and safety issues related to building work which is going on. It's a long ongoing problem in UK at the moment, with various building companies not managing to fulfil their commitments on time.

Can you imagine how I felt?

Lol - can you imagine how the kids felt when I broke the news to them that school was going to be open after all and they would have to suddenly finish off their coursework and get themselves to school the very next morning?

Don't get me wrong - I love the summer holidays - especially the beginning when it all pans out so loooooong and happy. But it's curious how the weather suddenly turns into that 'going back to school' weather, almost Autumnal overnight.

I'll be returning to Uni myself in a couple of weeks ... aaargh :p

Happy new school year to everyone - not long till the Christmas holidays now

Jo

I just got back from Madrid two weeks ago on Wednesday night, spent Thursday with my parents and then had to be at a meeting for teachers at my new school on Friday morning. So in addition to the bad end of the summer feeling, I had to get used to a new job at a new school, all while I was still missing being in Madrid drinking sangría and eating tapas in Plaza Mayor. I am doing fine now and things are good at school, but I still miss Madrid!!! Thinking about moving there in the next year or two though...

I have been back three days already but have not yet had Spanish classes. It has been faculty meetings and student orientation.

Tomorrow, the singing begins. We are starting with the three Shakira songs from the "Laundry Service" CD that you don't hear on the radio or TV in Spanish: "Que me quedes tu", "Te aviso, te anuncio" and "Te dejo Madrid". I think that "Te dejo Madrid" song is about leaving a man, and she calls him Madrid? I don't know. Someone fill me in here, or maybe I will figure it out after singing it 12 times a day.

For me, the only difficult part of returning to work is the pace. After being in an unemployed state of mind for many weeks, it is action action action once back. Usually takes me three weeks to pick up the pace.

Its a nice job, especially when the kids are good. Here's to a good year!

PD: I liked reading the post from the teacher who just got back from Madrid. What a nice end of summer!

PDD: Only yesterday I made the following web page about graduation 2003:

http://www.geocities.com/ttheimer2003/graduation03.html

Not played in spanish channels? It must be in the USA. Here, in Spain, them three are very well known.

Here is a link to two of the lyrics:

Two Shakira songs\' lyrics

Okay, Jo...you just need to quit your complaining and think of those poor teachers who have to see children, all you think of is babysitting. And what about your poor husband? We know all you want to do is hang out at home and surf madridman.com and sheeprus.co.uk

As for me, going back to school this year was about as exciting as going to the dentist. It was day after day of nonsense. Then the kids arrived, and it's great! This is my second year at this school so I think I can now see a program developing; I have many returning students and now at least everyone knows Spanish IV does not comprise of making piñatas.

Best of luck to all!

The first week is almost finished and I feel like I need a vacation! It is amazing how exhausted I feel. It is so hard to get back into the groove.
There are three people in my department who are out this week ( for various reasons) and so we, the other members of the department, have to sub for them! It is SO hard to plan for your own classes and then have to also worry about these other poor students ( who aren't even yours) and want to begin the year enthusiastically....it has been a really tough beginning.

I was able to use the new CD by Juanes( yo sé que no es de España -- es colombiano) in my classes and they really seemed to like it. Since he just won 5 Latin Grammy awards, I thought he would be a good person to introduce them to.

Anyway, have a great year everyone!
Esperanza

I don't need a vacation, just some extra desks, as the Spanish one classes average 37. Ahhh, to live in the days of 20 students per class.

I've noticed this year that most of the Spanish one teachers here don't stick to the curriculum, since I have to pick up the pieces in Spanish 2.

Repaso and práctica is a good way to "slide back in" though. I love teaching, and my Spanish 1 kids are so enthusiastic, I can't help but enjoy the day!

Have a great year all, and enjoy these days!!

37 per class!!! Christ. I used to teach 22 max at St.Louis University, and I thought that was enough. How do you get to everyone when there are so many, and multiple classes?

This is seeming more and more like a profession I want to stay away from. I think you have to really love teaching and be called to it to do this, because the benefits and working conditions are simply not what I would want to be doing with my life and this point. It's a shame, because I've been considering it on and off for the last 2 years now.

37 is over consensus for us. The number of students to a class is determined by grade taught and the requirements of the teachers' union. If teaching is something you want to do, but you don't want large numbers of students, work for change!

I warms my heart to hear someone say that they love teaching even when they are in a district with 37 kids in a class!!! The system needs more people like you CaliBasco!!

It has been two weeks since school started and tonight is the first night I am able to view MM in over 3 weeks!!!

I teach Kindergarten and I always forget what the first month of school is like with the little ones. I am exhausted. But I love it!!!

Whenever someone asks in the first few weeks of class, "how are you doing?", my standard reply is..."Ask me in a month"!

laduque, who's already dreaming of her Spain vacation NEXT summer!

laduque: How's the Costa Brava doing? I'm thinking of coming to SD for the SDSU/BYU football game...we'd like to stop in for din-din. Where are you located?

As for the class size question: Since we're in California and barely got a budget passed, we've had to make "concessions". What it boils down to is that each teacher cannot have over 180 students total in their five periods. That's averaging 36, but I've got two classes with 30...so technically, I could put 40+ in a class as long as I don't cross the 180 threshold. Convoluted at best, but I live with it.