My school has the entire week off for Thanksgiving, so I am finally able to enjoy a much-needed break. My students, it seemed, also really needed the break. Ever since we turned our clocks back and entered the holiday season, my students have been regressing a bit socially. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is exactly, but they have been being far less supportive of one another and seem to be forgetting many of the expectations that we created together for our classroom. I am hoping that some time away from class and a chance to miss one another will help them to come back to school with more festive attitudes! As much as I think that the break will be good for them (and certainly good for me), it is still weird for it to be Monday and for me not to be seeing them!
I have a busy break planned, with chances to catch up on all of the things that I keep piling onto my plate (and some opportunities to pile lots of yummy food on my plate!) Even though this is my first year teaching, I seem to keep taking on more and more things lately. Luckily, I haven’t gotten myself too burned out yet and seem to escaped the “despair” portion of the cycle of the new teacher that I had heard so much about — so far, at least.
Some of things that I’m hoping to get accomplished are finalizing the plans for the after school book club that I’m starting for my students, making the syllabus for an adult education course that I’ll be teaching in the winter/spring on the Harry Potter books, filling out my students’ report cards, writing the draft of an article that I’m hoping to publish, and lesson planning — I’m currently at work on a mini-unit to teach during the winter Olympics!
Another thing that I’ve been working hard on is my TeachersPayTeachers store. You can view it here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Cultivating-Questioners. I am having a lot of fun uploading my materials onto my store and am actually starting to sell some things as well. In fact, I’m part of a giveaway that runs through this Saturday, that any teachers who read this blog should check out and register for!
– See more at: http://lifeovercs.blogspot.com/2013/11/marvelous-monday-giving-thanks-giveaway.html#sthash.J3wprj5f.dpuf
Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!
Cultivating Questioners 
I hope you enjoy the break and your Thanksgiving celebrations. Don’t work too hard. Your TPT store is looking good. Do you know if my joining referred back to you? I would like to think so, but I didn’t realise until after I joined that that was possible.
I hope the students come back with all you wish for.
Best wishes.
I did know that you had followed my store! I find it a bit odd that you can’t easily see who is following you on TPT. I hope that you are having success with your store, too — it’s a slow process getting started!
Yes it is a slow process. It will be interesting to see how it works out! Best of success to you!