You may also find that your expectations for yourself are higher than any that you've ever encountered previously from external sources. Watch these tendencies, as the feedback they offer may not only be inaccurate, but extremely discouraging as well. Remember that running all of your different programs, especially if you're in a self-contained classroom or working with a number of different preparations, demands familiarity with the content and management of each program, the development and preparation of materials, and the establishment of the learning skills necessary to function successfully in each class. If you need to take several weeks to build the independence your students will need to participate in small groups, hold off starting until your kids are ready. In the weeks to come, scrounge what you can from your resource center, flea markets, media center, and other teachers.
Lessons go much better when both the teacher and students are ready.
Most of all, try to resist the temptation to measure yourself against other teachers. The other fourth grade is 15 pages ahead of us in math. There are a number of reasons this comparison is rarely fair. For one thing, the other teacher may simply be more familiar with the material after years of experience with it, and may have devised a more-efficient set of lessons and activities. Or, perhaps your students needed some preparation another teacher didn't address, or they had more questions.