Week Six

We are moving fast. Its almost the end of the first block for all schools, which consequently, means that the second block will be starting. A no brainer you say? Yes. But, it means for many of us that we have to say goodbye to our familiar routines, comfort ability in the classroom and with students and say hello to a new building, new teacher, and new kids...in the middle of their semester. Luckily I don't think I am one of these. Although, given the disorganization of my University, I can see a surprise like this coming.

Over the last two weeks I've been developing that comfort level with my history classes. I know all their names now and can pass out papers to their desks, even while they are not sitting in them! I've also seen my discomfort grow with teaching Lib & Law's subject matter, which I am grossly unprepared in. Each night before I teach that class I will do an average of 2-3 hours of reading, re-reading, outlining and other preps. Usually, I forget most of the stuff the next day as I begin lecturing. It sucks. We do not have enough time to do a lot of different stuff as the class is only a quarter long, and we are teaching required material. There is some definite stress that comes from that and I am not experienced enough, nor innovative enough, to make it fun...yet.

The days go by unbelievably fast though, especially once I leave the building, which is around 4:30 or so. I find that I work much better when I'm at the school. What has been interesting, and something I have not thought about until now, is how many kids will miss test days. Tests are a bitch and a half for students to make up. Not only do they statistically do poorer when they take the test apart from their class, but it also difficult to schedule around. They WILL NOT get to school early, and most of the kids in my honors classes do after school activities, so its almost impossible to get them to make it up. Even so, I still have an average of three students a week staying after to make up tests.

Tomorrow, the kids get their first day off from school in a month, give or take. The teachers however have In Service Day! Yay! I will actually be spending the morning at a different high school, thankfully closer to my apartment, analyzing new text-books for the school's curriculum, next year. I am somewhat excited about this because 1) I don't have to wear a suit and 2)the pyschology of text books interests me somewhat. We'll see how it goes. Until then...

Its time to pass some papers out. I need to jam. Today I'm teaching a lesson on pop-culture of the 1920s. We're even going to talk about Objectivist philosophy and show pictures of art! In all seriousness, I'm exposing the students to a lot of different stuff. Its fun.