dumping ground

today was just like any other day. full of stress and deadlines. i thought teaching would be days filled with laughter and stickers. since my move up to 4th grade it has been quite the opposite. this is my second year and i must say its much better than last year, however the stress level in this grade is unbearable. does moving up in grade levels increase the amount of stress? i feel for high school teachers.

we started a book club today. while i did get to pick which book i will be reading, none of the choices were those of which i would have gone out on my own and purchased. i am a little excited just because it will make me read and because i picked a book on brain research. i was really into that a couple of years ago. however, in my eyes, its just adding more meeting dates to my already filled calendar.

we may have to add a new teacher to our grade level because of our increasing numbers due to the hurricanes. i am very happy to take in these kids of displaced families. but we are crowded, out of desks and one student is even using the beloved teacher chair! i doubt he minds that much.

pros of hiring a new teacher:
number of students per class decrease (small groups get smaller, tutoring groups get smaller)
(thats it, one pro)

cons of hiring new:
i love my whole class i would hate to lose any of them!
we're already in the 9th week of school, what disruption.
can we find a good teacher thats not already hired this late in the year?
what if it disrupts the dynamics of our team? we have an awesome team this year.

okay, the pro is a big one. instructionwise. (is that even a word?)