I should be grading papers right now. I really should.
What am I doing instead?
Drinking a glass of wine, eating Kit Kats & Reese Cups, rocking in the corner.
Okay, the rocking in the corner part is a lie, but the rest is true. This is what the kids have pushed me to. A day after my resolve to "eat healthy" this is where I find myself.
Let's start with...
The Good
Let me say how proud I am of my little nuggets who have been working their butts off to pull their grades up this 9 weeks. They have been meeting with me one-on-one and making sure they have what they need to do well in my class.
I really feel like I've gotten to really know these kids over the past few months. Some of them are going through things that I can only imagine dealing with while others have really opened up.
I appreciate when they're real with me and the love I can feel.
The Bad
I still have quite a few kids failing my class for the quarter. I've given these kids the opportunity to pull it up with a major project grade this week and some of them still didn't do it. at all.
Out of 150 students, roughly 15-20 have Fs & maybe 8 have Ds. I know that's a small majority, but it makes me upset to have to fail anyone.
Side Note: Teachers do NOT like to fail you! It disappoints us more than anything...
The Ugly
Discipline. The word itself irks me.
Having been a rather laid back student in terms of rules, I myself would prefer to be lackadaisical and allow them the freedom to be themselves. They're almost adults, and I believe they should act like it.
Take, for example, my food policy. If it doesn't end up on my floor, I don't care what you eat. I also really don't mind talking as long as you don't talk during my lesson, and I don't really give a hoot about the dress code policy. My goal is to educate my students not crack down for a shirt being untucked.
Which brings me to my point, I have written 4 referrals thus far and plan on adding 2 more to that list this afternoon. I absolutely, positively loathe referrals. If I could avoid these irksome pieces of discipline, I would in a heartbeat. Alas, students have pushed my tolerance to its breaking point so it is with regret that I will give them their due repercussions.
My last item of contention is in administrative reviews.
My administrator is a pretty stand-up person overall. What I do not understand, however, is the general disconnect to teachers in regards to appropriate observation times.
Example 1: During FCAT week (NOT appropriate)
Example 2: On the first day of school, during the first hour of your day (NOT appropriate)
Example 3: The last 10 minutes of the last hour of the day (NOT appropriate)
Example 4: Homecoming week (NOT appropriate)
Example 5: The last day of the end of quarter marking period (NOT appropriate)
All of these examples are unfortunately real instances that myself or someone else has experienced this year already.
......
And so we are back at my glass of wine, strewn candy wrappers, and hypothetical rocking in the corner of the room.
Lord give me strength through the rest of this first year of teaching & help me get this pile of papers graded before the due date!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Teaching with a little bit of life on the side
I've always heard of workaholics who allow their jobs to overtake their lives. However, what do you do when the job overtakes you?
It's currently Wednesday, and the first day in quite a while that I've felt like I have the time/energy to write.
It's homecoming at my high school, and it's crazy being on the other side of things! I've realized that there are a lot of things I didn't even realize my teachers did. In honor of these revelations....
Things I took for granted in high school:
-School supplies
I was never one of those kids who took teachers' materials like pens or paper. However, I did use their scissors, colored pencils, construction paper, and books without a thought as to the personal cost. I know for a fact that not every county is so limited supply-wise, but I am flabbergasted at how much my teachers really supplied....and how much I supply!
- Senior activities & graduation
As a high school senior, it never dawned on me that those college talks, job placement tests, and reading placement tests were designed with me and my classmates in mind. I mindlessly assumed they were lackluster attempts from the high school to get us in and out. Now I know how much (most) teachers really care about their students and their success!
In addition to graduation assistance, seniors are privileged to end school before the other grades, have an entire senior week full of activities planned for them, and partake in tons of other things just for them. Did any of us realize someone had to plan these events? Apparently I thought they magically happened.
-Coaching, Clubs, and Dances
I was always excited to see my teachers at games, sponsoring clubs, or chaperoning dances. I know, for a fact, that we complained about not seeing them at these events enough! Looking at it from a teacher's perspective, I now realize how much of our personal time that takes. Don't get me wrong, I am participating in a homecoming event tonight and fully involved in my school as a coach and chaperone!
I love supporting our school, my students, and seeing them outside of the classroom in a neutral setting.
On the other hand, my exercise plan has dropped to basically nothing, I plan my lessons on the weekend, and I cringe when I see my laundry and dishes pile at the end of the week.
Grown up life is a bit crazy, but there are definitive perks!
The Upside of Being a Grown Up:
- I bought my own Halloween candy, whatever kind I wanted and did NOT feel guilty about it.
- David and I just booked a snowboard trip to CO for January
- In preparation for this trip, we stocked up on new winter gear, my first real set of clothes for cold weather!
- I can join a gym, a yoga studio, a running club... All lovely things that I WILL do, and soon!
- Holidays, health insurance, and retirement plans.... So dull to say, but I am so relieved to be able to work full time and so grateful that I am employed!
- Reconnecting with your family. My perspective as a working, responsible adult is vastly different than that of my brooding teenage self. I love consulting with my mom who is full of wisdom and, imagine that, has been through whatever I'm enduring. My little brother and sister aren't quite as annoying as I remember, and that quirky extended family is endearing rather than embarrassing.
On that note, I bid the blogging world adieu and hope that I will return sooner rather than later!
It's homecoming at my high school, and it's crazy being on the other side of things! I've realized that there are a lot of things I didn't even realize my teachers did. In honor of these revelations....
Things I took for granted in high school:
-School supplies
I was never one of those kids who took teachers' materials like pens or paper. However, I did use their scissors, colored pencils, construction paper, and books without a thought as to the personal cost. I know for a fact that not every county is so limited supply-wise, but I am flabbergasted at how much my teachers really supplied....and how much I supply!
- Senior activities & graduation
As a high school senior, it never dawned on me that those college talks, job placement tests, and reading placement tests were designed with me and my classmates in mind. I mindlessly assumed they were lackluster attempts from the high school to get us in and out. Now I know how much (most) teachers really care about their students and their success!
In addition to graduation assistance, seniors are privileged to end school before the other grades, have an entire senior week full of activities planned for them, and partake in tons of other things just for them. Did any of us realize someone had to plan these events? Apparently I thought they magically happened.
-Coaching, Clubs, and Dances
I was always excited to see my teachers at games, sponsoring clubs, or chaperoning dances. I know, for a fact, that we complained about not seeing them at these events enough! Looking at it from a teacher's perspective, I now realize how much of our personal time that takes. Don't get me wrong, I am participating in a homecoming event tonight and fully involved in my school as a coach and chaperone!
I love supporting our school, my students, and seeing them outside of the classroom in a neutral setting.
On the other hand, my exercise plan has dropped to basically nothing, I plan my lessons on the weekend, and I cringe when I see my laundry and dishes pile at the end of the week.
Grown up life is a bit crazy, but there are definitive perks!
The Upside of Being a Grown Up:
- I bought my own Halloween candy, whatever kind I wanted and did NOT feel guilty about it.
- David and I just booked a snowboard trip to CO for January
- In preparation for this trip, we stocked up on new winter gear, my first real set of clothes for cold weather!
- I can join a gym, a yoga studio, a running club... All lovely things that I WILL do, and soon!
- Holidays, health insurance, and retirement plans.... So dull to say, but I am so relieved to be able to work full time and so grateful that I am employed!
- Reconnecting with your family. My perspective as a working, responsible adult is vastly different than that of my brooding teenage self. I love consulting with my mom who is full of wisdom and, imagine that, has been through whatever I'm enduring. My little brother and sister aren't quite as annoying as I remember, and that quirky extended family is endearing rather than embarrassing.
On that note, I bid the blogging world adieu and hope that I will return sooner rather than later!
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