Back to School!

Day two of the semester!  On the one hand, it is so great to be back.....on the other hand, I am already tired as the juggling act begins once again. Hopefully I will get that pattern back quickly and be able to get everything on my schedule as I did last semester.  Now that I have my new iPad I have no excuses for lack of organization; there is even a homework app!
Today was my first day with the cohort - fun to be in such a small group and to be able to sit in a classroom in a real school - hearing the sounds and seeing the sights of an elementary school.  I met my homebase teacher quickly today; real introductions happen tomorrow.
The 16 of us that make up the cohort were split into small groups, each with certain responsibilities.  My group (Katey, Megan, Mariah and myself) are the team responsible for setting up weekly 'shoptalks' where we invite teachers to come and talk to our whole group about the 'real experience' - to share stories, give advice and so forth.  I had my daily reminder of my age as when we chose the group name 'Fab Four' (four of us.....all based with 4th grade this year)....and I commented 'and hey, I am from Liverpool, so even better'.....they all looked at me blankly.  Yes, they had heard of the Beatles, but Fab Four?   They had no idea that was where that came from!
Then, my second moment of ageism of the day came when I looked at my fellow students idea of professional dress.  I mean, if I was that that cute, maybe I would be tempted to wear the mid-thigh, skin tight, psychedelic nylon dress.....but probably not as 'teacher wear' for elementary students!  Thank goodness we aren't teaching high school.....there might have been an accident caused by stopped traffic in the hallway!  Again, showing my age no doubt :)
Having said that though, I am really excited about all of the fellow students in the cohort - everyone seems really nice and as a 'handpicked' group that had to apply to be there, a very different group than I met in some of my GenEd classes last semester!  This is going to be hard work, but a ton of fun!
Tomorrow I will be formally introduced to my 4th Grade class - I can't wait!!!!