Vocabulary Wisdom

Another post about the new job is in the works, but I couldn't pass up posting some English teacher wisdom, in the fine words of my favorite "philosophers:"


Thanks goes to the reflective teacher for leading me to this awesome searchable database of Calvin & Hobbes comic strips.

Snow Days, Long Weekends and maybe finally getting caught up

I've had another week of adventures and realizations. The learning curve on this job is long (arguably, never-ending), and I've got miles and miles left to go. Here are a few of the lessons I learned this week:

1. Snow days are a gift from some higher power. It's awesome to suddenly find that I have an unexpected solid day to do work sans interruptions, distractions and commute time.
2. Still on the subject of getting a break mid-week: My friends at Eagle Rock are definitely on to something with their Wednesday schedule of school activities but not actual classes. Coming from a college environment where students have few, if any, classes on Fridays, and having been part of the alternative Wednesdays at ERS, and experiencing now, first hand as a teacher, how much more manageable 4 days in the classroom are, I would definitely argue for some kind of new schedule, especially when it is planned (as opposed to losing a day of instructional time you were counting on).. Five days in a row spent in the classroom, week after week, do not work well for students OR teachers.
   

One Week Down....

Well, I know I disappeared for a bit, but there was nothing to write about until I actually started the new gig on Februray 1st, and then of course getting settled in and caught up took over my life. After a full week of classes, things seem to be going smoothly, and I am thoroughly exhausted again. So far having my own classes has not felt that much different from student-teaching, especially since I have a co-teacher in the two core (or basic skills) sections. It is an interesting change to have legitimacy as a staff member; there are so many minute administrative details I have to worry about now, but there are perks too - access to computers and student information, the ability to get my hands on supplies and materials, and hopefully as of tomorrow, my own keys to the classrooms where I teach. Part of me is really peeved that my supervisor didn't have the foresight to put in a request for keys when I first accepted the job, rather than waiting until I was actually in the building, but he's been so apologetic about it and helpful about other things that I cannot stay mad. Besides, even the promise of keys is a big step up from having to wait for permission to go to the restroom because the classroom could not be left unattended and unlocked.
This school is very different from what I had become accustomed to - it is bigger than TCHS and the main building is at least as old, but everything is infinitely more well-kept. The culture feels vastly different too; there is positive energy from students and staff, and even the apathy feels good-natured. My students are a very mixed bag, but I do not forsee any trouble to the scale I had with second block during student teaching, even from the biggest wise guys. With less than a handful of exceptions, they are doing their work without putting up much of a fight, and many of the weak students strike me as hardworkers despite their limitations. I am undergoing baptism by fire when it comes to working with "classified" students and their accomodations, but it has not gotten too bad yet.
Right now I am teaching a unit on short stories that I wish I had had more time to put together (I could have found much better readings to use!), the highlight of which has been watching my students "map" children's books like Where the Wild Things Are, The Giving Tree and To Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street. I am looking forward to planning for Romeo and Juliet, Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and Cisneros's House on Mango Street soon.
I need to rest up for the week ahead - more classroom adventures to come soon.