Let the Chaos Begin!

Trimester 2 began today.  That means 4 new classes of students totalling 152 students, of whom 30 are my previous  students.  Also, this tri I'm on a cart traveling between classrooms.  So far, the hosting teachers are kind.  We are all disorganized, since most teachers either lost a classroom or had to move all their stuff last minute, during final exam week.  My list begins:  I need dry erase markers, scissors, tape, stapler, lined paper, overhead projector, transparencies (cleaned), pens, pencils, attendance files and parent phone numbers, to take to each class.  ...and the lesson supplies for 115 Spanish 2B and 40 1A.  My paper supply will go faster than usual.  So far, the students seem eager to be in my class.  However, some who know me are being loud and disruptive... why are they ???  I know they are happy to be in my class- they've said so. But why the obnoxiousness right away?  I barely stand a chance of being heard in 5th hour, so many loud students and tile floor.  The central hallway outside 5th hour has many vagrant students who pop their heads in and interrupt the lesson, as though I'm irrelevant to the classroom.  The hosting teacher moved his things to one desk, and left me the use of the other.  Alas, no dry erase marker were available.  I asked a student to go next door to borrow one.  Already I'm thinking direct instruction will be kept at a minimum because the students are so loud.  I can't compete.  I guess, slide shows, worksheets, text exercises will be the mainstay of classwork.  All in all, I'm optimistic; if I can just keep my energy up, health, and mental and emotional distance from confrontational behavior- it'll be fine.  I hope.

Some are more equal than others

I arrived at 7:15 to my room; what will not be my room after today.  I graded a few more final exams and took another trip of items from the classroom to my car.  A neighboring teacher was also moving quickly through the halls with a stressed look- she had to change rooms now that exams were finished.  At least she has a room to move to.  I'm packed into a small office with all my stuff as well as Mr. I's desk and stuff.  The door opens about 3 feet wide at most.  I'm thinking I'll go out the window in the event of a fire.  Mrs B found out that another teacher was moving into her old room and she had today only to move all her things to the new location.  It seems about 6 or 7 other teachers are either going from a classroom to a cart or to another classroom.  Its only November!  Fortunately I made all my finals multiple choice for a scan tron machine, but also have second sets of exams for the various IEP's, and have to be ready for unannounced "make-ups".  I was hoping to have time to plan for the new courses I'll be teaching next Tuesday... so far I have a curriculum guide I wrote for one course (over a long weekend) and managed to photocopy 35 copies of the first chapter of the text for the first 2 weeks.  35 copies is a class set of texts, since I High School hasn't filled the orders I made (3 times) for 150 textbooks.  To date I have 12 students failing, only 3 of them would I recognize due to more than 25 absences since Sept.  Most students have B's and C's.  A small amount have A's.  My conclusion:  attendance is one of the primary factors for academic success.  Half of my 110 students have over 15 absences (in 3 months), another half of them have over 20 absences. A handful have missed all but 3 days of class.  If No Child Left Behind was serious about raising test scores in "failing" schools, it would somehow address the issue of poor attendance.

A Beginning

Teachers get a bad rap; from parents, from news media and society.  What most people don't understand is what one must do each day to BE a teacher.  So, in efforts to support the survival of the teaching profession, I wish to share a daily blog of my life as a teacher.  I hope to challenge those pre-conceived notions of teaching so many everyday folks unwittingly subscribe to.  And, of course, I will use this blog to vent a bit too.
Let me begin with why and how I became a teacher.  I love to learn!  An extension of this love is the love of learning how others learn.  Does that make sense?  To me it does.  It is fascinating to watch the discovery of new realities in another person.  Its as close to magic as I've ever experienced.  My father raised me with this sort of infectious curiosity.  That is my answer to "why".  "How" is not so straight forward.  In high school I wanted to study anthropology.  I did and while studying at the U of M among great scholars of the field I found most drawn to ethnography: writing and recording human cultural systems.  Then I tested into a third year Spanish course and, flattered, began to contemplate a career within closer reach: to teach Spanish!
My teaching coursework was interesting but very theoretical, not practical.  I found myself aware of multicultural issues in public schools, yet tripping over extension cords connecting the overhead projector to the outlet.  Four months of student teaching later and I was sold... on the students.  Teaching would always be new, because the students brought new life to each lesson.  At that point, teaching was an art and I practiced my technique.
After my first year of teaching in California, I realized that schools don't always support the basic needs of teachers but that the ones that do, have amazing programs and results.  (Check out Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, CA for an amazing school!!!)