It's obviously been a while since I've posted. And with good reason. I have been BUSY. First-year teaching is kind of an all-consuming job. In fact, I actually don't think that calling it a 'job' is even appropriate. First-year teaching is more of a lifestyle.
I'm up every morning at 5. I'm at school by around 6:20ish. I make my posters, post my agendas and homework assignments, rearrange desks, make copies (if I'm lucky), and do whatever other prep. stuff is necessary. Class starts at 8. Sixty 12 and 13-year-olds mentally and verbally abuse me until 2:30 (and occasionally learn something in the process). They go home. I stay at school, picking up after them, correcting their notebooks, meeting with other teachers, calling parents, scouring the school in search of things like a globe or an atlas, and sometimes holding my own detention sessions since the school doesn't have a discipline system. I go home around 5:30, eat something quick and boring like beans and a tortilla or pasta, then start planning for the next day. This generally involves a lot of internet research and printing my ink cartridge dry. I go to bed around 11 and start the whole thing over again. Oh, and somewhere in there, I try to squeeze in some grad school work. Six hours of sleep, then do it all again! :)
I don't mean to sound negative. This is just my new life. Clearly, I'm still adjusting and trying to figure out a way to make everything take a lot less time. My goal is to fit in more ME activities. Like seeing friends or my boyfriend more than once/wk, working out, posting on my blog or writing for fun, sleeping more, etc. I even ordered an ipod online a few days ago, hoping that it would provide some much-needed incentive to get my butt downstairs to use the workout room. We'll see how that goes. :)
My kids are... Um... Well, they're 7th graders, so they're inherently bursting at the seems with attitude and drama. But I have some great kids in my classes who clearly really want to learn. I also have a lot of students who haven't figured out yet that they're already really really far behind academically and it would be in their best interest to shut the fuck up and do some work. So I'm on roughly plan G for how to get them invested in their own education. We'll get there. Eventually.
In the meantime, I've had a few unfortunate incidents. One student threatened to get his brother after me. Another shoved a door as hard as he could to knock me over on the other side. I've had money stolen out of my backpack while I was in the room (don't ask me how), I've had lots of pens and markers stolen, and I've received a series of prank phone calls. (I gave out my cell phone number so my kids would always be able to reach me with questions or requests for extra help. Many have used it for this reason, so I don't regret giving it out, but the "suck my dick" pranks were obviously annoying.) I expected most of these sorts of setbacks.
I was less prepared for the school's issues though. Not being able to rely on a single printer or copier in the building has made things difficult. Teaching social studies without a globe, atlas, or textbook has been challenging. (I demonstrated latitude and longitude with an apple that I later ate for my lunch. This may be why so many of them didn't quite get it.) The administration has presented a fair number of issues that I probably shouldn't risk getting into on a public web site, and the teaching staff is NOT supportive. I am the first and only TFA person at my school, and I feel pretty isolated. Everyone is out for themselves there. Because we are so sorely lacking in resources, the veterans have a tendency to hoard the few they've managed to get their hands on, instead of sharing. I'm trying to adjust and be more creative in my search for resources, but that's also a time-consuming process. I've written and submitted a couple proposals on http://www.donorschoose.org/ but they're being processed right now before they can be posted. I've also hit up craigslist with a few posts, but no luck yet. I'll let you know how those pan out. Hopefully something comes through soon because I can't keep blowing large portions of my paychecks at Staples.
But enough about all that... :) How about some highlights of my last few weeks?
*My mom and sister came to visit me from MN! I got to see my sister's pregnant little belly, and I gave her an I(heart)NY onesie. (I don't know how to spell that.) My mom treated us to seeing the Broadway show "Wicked." It was an absolutely incredible show, and I'd recommend it to anyone who has a chance to see it.
*Three students voluntarily stayed after school one day to get extra help on their memoir writing assignments, and I felt like talking them through what that concept behind a memoir is made it actually click for them. No sweeter music to a teacher's ears than, "Ooooh! Ok! I get it!"
*I got a big desk with file drawers, so I can treat my OCD tendencies to some well-organized, neatly-labeled files. :)
*I had a lot of fun last night when I went out with some friends that live down the hall from me. (I haven't been out in quite a while because I've been too tired, so this was a big step.) We went to a place that has beirut tables, Ms. Pac Man, and a Monopoly arcade game, so I trust Nitin will like it too if we ever decide to break our homebody ways on the same night.
Ok. I have grad school work and grading to catch up on, so I better run. I just wanted to post something so I don't let this site die!
