The end is nigh

Term 4 just started, and I've met all my new 6/7 students - about 75 of them. Day One is me talking at them all block, much to their chagrin. New to the lecture are Rules #1 and #2. Rule #1 - Do not enter the room and ask me "Are we cooking today?" If we are cooking, you will know about it, and you will not need to ask. Rule #2 - Do not enter the room and ask "Are we knitting today"? Similarly, if we are starting to knit, you will know about it, and it won't happen before mid-term. Rule #3 is "Do not enter the room and ask "What are we doing today?" I, seriously, cannot take another term of hearing that 75 - 100 times a day.

Term 4... warm weather, grade seven-itis, and class lists that show that whoever planned the classes has a wicked sense of humour. Truly, they saved the best for last... some wonderful kids, and some horrible combinations of ... um... interesting characters.

Lots of my Green Team leadership students are contained in this term, which is nice. A cluster of my beginning ELL students have also arrived. It's nice that they like each other enough to sit together, but I'm quite honestly going to have to assign a translator to that group. My beginners may speak enough English to get by, but they're in for a shock when they find out that my ELL teacher voice and my Home Ec teacher voice run at completely different speeds. As an ELL teacher, I'm pretty mellow, but as a Home Ec teacher on Food Lab days, I'm a little intense.

Food allergy lists look pretty manageable this time round. No phobias, no unusual allergies. Looks like I can stick with the tried and true recipes, although I may let them do one of the Grade 8 recipes. The cookies were a real challenge for the not-very-attentive 8s, but might be an appropriate challenge for my I-still-want-to-please-the-teacher younger classes.

However, this is the cohort that led me to remove the knives from the units. I think I should get another fire extinguisher. And a first aid kit.

I have this on my desk. They don't get it.