Baby Steps

So, I began my role as Kindergarten Cop today. Here's how my 2 hours went:

First 30 minutes: Time it took to walk from point A to point B with my 6 students.
Next 30 minutes: The time it took to read one book from cover to cover.
Next 15 minutes: Work with magnetic letters. Only 2 children threw them and no one ate them. They did a very nice job of cleaning up by the time I counted to 20.
Next 20 minutes: Time it took to take students to the bathroom, drop one off at the nurse, one in DMC (one girl slapped another girl), get a band-aid for another (injury caused by sliding on floor and getting a carpet burn), and time to walk back to my teaching area.
Next 15 minutes: writing HFW on dry erase boards, earned 2 minutes free draw
Last 10 minutes + 20 additional minutes: Time it took to walk back to class with only 4 boys, since one girl was in DMC and the other girl walked back with another adult since she was yelling in the 4 boys' faces.

Then, as I was leaving, one of the 4 boys (who had spent at least 30 minutes crying because he wanted to be with his other teacher) came up and hugged me and asked me not to go. Those are my baby steps!

Tonight's To Do List: Revamp thinking for TH and find an adult book to read about children who come from poverty. I have to better understand these children so I can better help them and their teacher.