Children are like sweet sugar cookies, they have to be cared for; add some Language Arts, Spanish, Science, Math, Health, Music, Art, Social Studies and  molded a bit but when they are ready – they are amazingly glorious and productive happy people! School is…cool!

The first day got away from me, I admit it—but now that we have finished the first week of school, I can’t help but sigh with relief.

I am always afraid that something will go terribly wrong during those first few days, and mercifully, so far at least, that hasn’t happened.

I’m the Instructional Technology Specialist for Barton and this is my second year to do this job.  I find that I am not quite as spectacularly overwhelmed as I was last year, but today has been one for the books.

We are so lucky in Irving to have as much technology available for our teachers and students, but as you might guess, technology being what it is, my job can get awfully exciting awfully fast.

We did our first broadcast today, and even though the campus technician, Justin, and I checked random rooms to make sure the system was operational yesterday after school, we still had a few glitches-- pretty much easy things, like misplaced audio cords and co-ax cables, but just enough to keep us hopping.

Justin and I met with our broadcast team earlier this week after school, which was a joy.  We have 16 eager children who are willing to stay late and arrive early so that they can broadcast over our closed circuit system.  (Our station’s call letters are KBUF for K-Buffalo.  Did I mention that our school mascot is the buffalo?)

We’ve broken them into two teams—the Buffalo Girlz, they selected the names, and the Buffalos, although that group may really be the Buffaloes.  (Did you know that there are two equally acceptable spellings for the plural of buffalo?  I didn’t before last year.

The Buffalo Girlz did their thing with competence and aplomb this morning with the help of our librarian Linda Whitaker.  We’ll see how the Buffalo(s)(es) do next week.

All in all—it’s been a great week. It would be wonderful if the rest of them this year would go as well. 

Posted by Gae Poulsen, Instructional Technology Specialist at Barton

The first day of my third time in fourth grade (once as a student and now twice as a teacher) was filled with ups-n-downs.  From seeing how eager my students were to complete assignments to consoling the teary-eyed boy who has only been in the US three months and is daunted by all that he has to learn, the promise of what the year can bring and seeing my fourth grade class from last year walk the halls with their new fifth grade teachers.  (It feels something like what parents experience when their kids finally go off to college but on a much smaller scale, I guess).  Overall I’d say the first day is like the cover on a book- you never know what surprises lay ahead. 

Ed Salamanca teaches bilingual fourth grade at Barton

The first day of school is over and it seemed like a very long one.  Most of the teachers were at Barton all day Saturday getting their rooms ready. This morning most of us got here before 7:00 to get a parking space before all the parents arrived and to finish up those last minute items, the ones we remember in the middle of the night and make a mental note to try to thing of the next day.  Several of us spilled coffee on ourselves, which is such a great look, you know. But now this longest day is over and we can leave knowing that, once again, we have great kids and it’s going to be a fun year, watching them grow and learn. We’ll go to bed early and get up to come for what will only be the second longest day.

Linda Whitaker is the library media specialist at Barton Elementary

 Sandra McElhaney teaches bilingual second grade at Barton.

Well I have survived the first day of school!  I absolutely dread it the night before and my husband always asks "Why, it's your ninth, tenth, or eleventh year?"

I just worry and I don't even know about what specifically.Maybe I am slightly worried this will be the class I can't handle or the class who I can not make smile.  Now it is 3:10 p.m. and I am exhausted, but it was a good first day!

The kids were excited and glad to see each other and chatty, but they seem very sweet and really smart which I am excited about!  I am doing dual language this year so tomorrow is a little like the first day again, but I will not have that worry as much tonight.  Besides I am so pooped, I will sleep fine.

My new dual language partner is awesome and I think it will be a very exciting and challenging year but in a good way.  Now I need to put away supplies and start planning for next week lesson plans for my second grade team!!!  Is it sad I am already looking forward to Labor Day!

- Toni Kayser-Boyd is a second grade teacher at Barton Elementary.

Hey there, folks. This is Sterling Robertson, your editor for Irving neighborsgo.

This right here is the welcome note for the Barton Elementary Blog. I was talking with Linda Whitaker the other day about documenting the first days, and the following months, of the 2008-09 school year.

Hopefully, she's wrangled some other teachers to join in on the fun and you'll be able to come back here and read all about what teachers are thinking, feeling, worrying about and hoping for in the coming months at Barton Elementary.

Hey, if you have a desire to tell us what you're up to, join the site and start your own blog. It's as easy as going back to school.

Also be sure to check out the Go Blog to see updates and what else is going on with neighborsgo.com!