Starting the School year 2010

School is starting in approximately two weeks.  If you had asked me in July how I felt about the upcoming school year, I would have told you that I was ahead of the game.  I felt more prepared for the upcoming school year than I ever have before.  But now, now I'm scared.  OK, not scared but definitely feeling like there is a lot I have to get done.  Seven preps this year, and I'm trying really hard to make them all good ones.  Like,  no more living from section 3.4 to 3.5 to 3.6 to test review, to test, to 4.1 to 4.2 ... you think kids ever get bored?  I want to make math class this year matter to problem solving ten years down the road, and I am struggling to know how to make this happen.  Part of me wants to say... one class at a time, one year at a time.  I'm thinking "Get Algebra I set this year and do Geometry next."  But this year's 8th graders will only be 8th graders once (hopefully) and they should get a great education that one time that they are.  I just don't know how to do it.  NONE THE LESS (dat da dat da daaaaa) I'm going to try to make it happen... I'll talk to you in June