Classes, Classes and More Classes

This is the first time in my 10 year teaching career that I have been the only art teacher in the school and it's the first time that I am strictly an elementary art teacher. In the past I taught pre-school-8. At my first school there were three art teachers (10 total specials) and at my last school there were two of us (when started there were 11 total specials but our team was downsized to 6). In my current school, there are a total of three specials; art, music and p.e., the budget didn't allow for anymore specials. I can't complain, I am grateful to be employed. The P.E.and Music teachers are great!!!!! I really like them! I'm just sad that there classrooms are on the other side of the school building. I feel isolated sometimes.

This is also the first time that I am literally teaching the entire school, I have a total of 21 different classes, which equates to a three day rotation of seven classes. On Monday and Tuesday I teach the A schedule, Wednesday and Thursday I teach the B schedule and on Friday I teach the C schedule.

A Schedule                
Pre-School
Pre-K
Kindergarten
Planning
2nd grade
Lunch
3rd Grade (Class A)
3rd Grade (Class B)
3rd Grade (Class C)

B Schedule                

Pre-School

Pre-K

Kindergarten

Planning 

2nd grade

Lunch 

4th Grade (Class A)

4th Grade (Class B)

4th Grade (Class C)

C Schedule                  

Pre-K

1st  Grade

Kindergarten

Planning 

2nd grade

Lunch 

5th Grade (All Girls Class)

1st  Grade

5th Grade (All Boys Class)

Each class is 40 minutes with no transition periods in between. It's a tough schedule, but I really like teaching an entire grade level back to back. I get a lot of reteach/ teachable moments, in addition to practice. It works out really great, because my most challenging class are my last period classes and I have had two opportunities to work out all of the kinks in my delivery of the lesson. The most challenging day of my schedule is Friday. Besides the fact that I only see these students once a week, I have single gender 5th grade classes. I have been working really hard to plan for things that will interest them. They are both rambunctious groups of boys and girls. Please, pray for me.... I have to be honest, they are giving me the blues right now, especially the all boys class. It's at the end of the day and I have to find my last boost of energy to give them my all in order to keep them engaged.