One thing that really struck me was how much the students had grown throughout the summer. One thing that I am having a hard time remembering is that the students have moved up a grade...but the teachers are teaching the same grade.that means the students have different teachers, and the context in which we knew them has changed. It's a paradigm shift for me...and though I have now known some students since they were in first grade in 2009, I am having a really hard time remembering they are 4th graders and not 3rd graders any more!
This year, I am completely changing my teaching style, and have a goal of having an immersion classroom, with at least 90% target language (Chinese). I am also going to teach new material, to try to incorporate more topics that are interesting to the students, (we are starting with sports), and also topics related to travel, including directions and ordering food. I am also planning to try doing centers (stations) in my classroom, and reinforcing what's been learned with more fun activities like games.
I just finished writing a unit plan on sports and the Olympics, am eager to try it out. I have notice that the longer I teach, the more comprehensive the lesson plans I am writing. I would have thought it would work out the opposite way, but perhaps it's because I am teaching new topics. I did realize how helpful some of my teaching certification classes are, and how great it is to apply what I learned to what I do.
Instead of feeling exhausted today, I actually feel energized with all the new possibilities. I just hope this "honeymoon" feeling doesn't wear off!