I want to jump off a cliff all day and then there is a moment ...

that makes me realize why I come back to school every day.

back to school, back to school

After a week off, I feel recharged. I feel like I can tackle what's in front of me. At the same time, I wonder what this next quarter will hold for me. I wonder what challenges will come up. I wonder how much work I will have to do to retrain my students after a week off. As one experienced teacher at my school said "teaching is a lot like being a firefighter. You never know what you are going to end up doing in a day." Having done both of these jobs, I certainly agree with the analogy.

one reason to teach in Arizona

FALL BREAK!

My mom came and visited. We took some time to play, but mostly got stuff done...the stuff that normal people do on a regular basis but you neglect when you are completely consumed by your work. Now I am taking time to plan for the next quarter, trying to set my students up to learn a LOT more than they did 1st quarter. I am also reflecting on how I can better involve parents, and also how I can keep my classroom culture positive. I can feel that things could explode...the students like me and trust me, but issues between students are brewing. These conflicts could spell disaster for my goal of a "positive, productive learning space." Hmmm. Right now I am focusing on having my quarter planned out very well--my learning objectives calendared, and some idea of how I am going to teach those objectives. I need to have a more coherent idea of what I am doing this quarter so I can communicate that to the students. This is much easier said than done...but it HAS to get done. Teaching is such an interesting profession...so many things to think about!

OK that's all I got for now.

I have to admit it's getting better

I have to take the moments to embrace the things that are getting better. I am FAR from an excellent instructor, but I am making lots of progress. My classroom is running much more smoothly...at least most of the time. There are still moments of chaos at the very end of the day.

A couple funny stories:

I had the kids correct a messed up sentence. In it was supposed to be "piece" but instead it was spelled "peace." I asked the kids what "peace" meant and one kid says "you know, like peace out, when you are leaving."

Monday my class got video taped by my program director. I had to step out of the room to round up some loose kids. While I was out a student went to the sink to wash his hands. While he was up there he broke the faucet. It came clear off. A couple kids joined him at the sink to watch as he put it back on. The funny part was that I had no idea this had even happened until I watched the tape this afternoon. I almost fell out of my chair laughing. I can't wait to bring it up to the student tomorrow.

SO MUCH ASU HOMEWORK. OK, if i was a good student and did it throughout the week it wouldn't be bad, but it makes for a rough Wednesday night when you put it all off. but TOMORROW is the last day of this darn technology course that eats up so much of my time. Next 9 weeks is ESL which will be much more useful, I hope.

I am enjoying myself in my classroom more often lately...getting overwhelmed with frustration a bit less often, and looking forward to next week off. I hope to get my next unit planned well during my time off. It'll be exciting to have more effective instruction :)

ohhhh i'm a nerd, but i love it.