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May 07, 2004
Tunnel? Light?!?!
6:30 pm, and I just got home from school. It's been a weird week. Teaching is becoming much more relaxed now that the tests are finished for the kids. My principal is trying to blame the teachers for the impending failure of our school in math, but I'm not blaming myself like I did last year. I think my kids will maintain their scores or possibly improve, and that would be entirely because of my efforts, not the administration. My administration has been chronically lacking in support and structure, and they pull stunts like using different calculators for the test than the ones used in my room for the entire year.
I did everything I could for the test prep. More importantly, I have actually taught a few kids how to be better problem solvers. I've been administering some remediation lessons that are part of my thesis, and I'm prepping some amazingly fun lessons to teach to the kids.
I have family stress right now, but my freaking out over my thesis seems to keep any other anxiety at bay. This weekend I really have to crank out an enormous amount of dreck, so I'm hoping the weather will be miserable.
Next week, I don't teach THE ENTIRE WEEK. I have to go to the regional office to score 8th grade tests. Of course, I am happy, although I wish they had told me earlier than this afternoon. Nothing like having to prep five days of coverage lessons for other teachers, hence the 6:30 arrival at home.
I'm fixated on my thesis for the next few weeks, but then I graduate and begin the reflection process. Do I stay at my school? Over the last few weeks, I've been feeling strangely sure-footed in my teaching abilities, and continuity could reallly do wonders for next year. One of the biggest flaws in the system is the burnout of new teachers in really difficult schools. I'm seriously considering high school, but staying in the neighborhood has benefits.
Once I've graduated, I'll begin looking at my options. I think it is time to move, so that will seriously influence my decision. One of the huge bonuses of my school is its close proximity to my loft. If I find a loft close by to the school, I'll stay. If I move to another neighborhood, then I'll also find another school.
Posted by G at May 7, 2004 06:47 PM
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Comments
Congrats on feeling good about the tests, kids and your teaching skills. You sound so amazingly confident and grounded in this entry. You ARE a wonderful instructor...never doubt that. And students are always going to have surrounding circumstances that will affect their learning abilities in pos/neg ways that a mere mortal teacher can't stay up nights stressing over.
To paraphrase the musical RUTHLESS: "Life is a bitch...and it starts in 8th grade".
It may help to know that the line is delivered by a school teacher, I guess.
Posted by: Danny at May 8, 2004 10:59 PM