I just went on an iTunes shopping spree! I now own a bunch of cheesy pop songs that I'm ashamed make me happy, just a little. :)
The weekend was nice--busy, but in a pretty good way. I went bowling and to a street fair (not at the same time), and had two little photo jobs. After some school work (I find that I start investigating one topic and get carried away but in a good way, then realize that there's so much more to work on!), I gave myself a few hours to laze about on the couch. Wonderful!
Monday is over now, thank god. Two more boys in my class now! I don't blame myself for being cranky about it, because now there are more bodies and more voices to manage, and the little management I've had continues to slip away. Last week I told myself I need to work on transitions more, and today with more kids, I saw that I definitely need to have better routines for moving out of the room.
My lesson planning, for the record, stinks. At least one lesson per day is made up mostly on the go. Not interesting, interactive, or using multiple intelligences. Not even doing an effective beginning or ending.
I have a sketch for the week now, though. Maybe I can find it in myself to actually plan out the sketches so that I can feel like a better teacher again. I've got a writing thing that's limping along, math kind of bombed today, I have so much social studies to cover it's ridiculous, and there's that other one, science, what's that? Haha. I need to get some graded work so that the kids and the parents know where things stand. I need to start a project, but feel completely clueless about how to or what about. Isn't that stupid? How many projects have I assigned in the last five years--several dozen at least? It's weird how the simple things take on an unknown face in a new school. It's a month in and I still feel at a loss about how everything works and what is expected of me and the kids.
So: transitions; projects; grade stuff. That's my focus for my ideal self this week. Want to take bets on how quickly all that leaves my brain? Hint: Probably the next twelve hour day at school, ie tomorrow. Gah.
Oh, but really, I'm fine. Don't get me wrong, Thursday night was pretty bad. And then I was at school FOREVER on Friday. And I'm pretty sure that I don't have time for the gym during the week for a bit until I get things under control. Things are stressful and annoying, sure. I'm not the only one feeling overworked and underplanned, and oddly that relieves me a little. I'm surviving and I'm not crying (except for that one time)!
2 comments:
It certainly sounds as though you're doing well despite the challenges and the long hours!
I am having a hard time with this post because this is the 2nd time you admitted to winging the lessons. I do not understand your thinking or your professionalism here. Most teachers have suffered years of bad classes, but effecitive lesson planning can at least engaged the students. Also you fail again to mention what steps you are taking with the discipline. Last year you never mentioned getting the parents involved and here you seem to be doing that again.
I really hope teaching is what you want, because the long hours of paperwork is not what this job is about. And frankly, I can't even imagine what kind of paperwork you are talking about that takes so many hours of your day and is causing you anxiety during the school day.
As always, I wish you luck. But for the sake of your class--you need to be well prepared.
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