A list of things that occurred my first year

1. Had a student threaten to jump from the second story window of my classroom
2. Had 10 students who were emotionally disturbed in a very small classroom
3. Had a student get shot over the Christmas holiday; he lived
4. Became good buddies with the computer teacher
5. Coached cheerleading...started w/ nothing
6. Found out one of my cheerleaders lived in a homeless shelter
7. Got pregnant that year
8. Ate more saltines than ever
9. Handwrote more IEP's than I care to remember
10. Learned the CAPE hold, and used it once w/ a dress on!

There are more...

The first week of teaching...

I had the police in my room before the week was over :( Little did I know it is not wise to allow emotionally disturbed boys to go on a bathroom break w/o an adult present. One of my boys made it down stairs, bashed out a teachers car window, and back to my classroom before the tardy bell rang! How does one do that??? He denied it the entire school year. He became one of my favorites needless to say.

It all started in 1997

I took my first teaching position at Jackson Middle School in OKC. I was desperate to find a job. I walked in to the school to drop off my resume' and I was hired on the spot! I was so excited! I was going to change the world. I must mention that I was hired to teach Emotionally Disturbed children...perhaps this is why I was hired on the spot. The remainder of the summer I prepared for my first teaching job. I painted my room, cleaned out cabinets, and scavenged furniture for my students. Yes, that's what you have to do sometimes. I literally went to the OKC schools salvage yard to get an office chair and a cabinet for my tiny room, that at one time served as a janitor closet...it was about the size of a large laundry room. The few cabinets that I had had been infested w/ mice. Those mice made apperances throughout the school year by the way. I also cleaned off the cobwebs of the bars that covered my two windows as I gazed at the courtyard and street below. I was physically ready that first day of school. More to come of what unfolded as my first year of teaching began.