Sick but No Sick Time

Ugh! Going into my 3rd week and I've been really questioning why I'm being called to teach right now. There's obviously some message that God is trying to get me to understand... is it humility? Compassion? Competence? Self-Worth? Sacrifice?

In the past five years, I've gone from full time college student, to part-time bank teller, to full-time customer service rep, to charter school teacher, to public school teacher and I'm still not satisfied. I feeling like teaching ain't my passion, and it's getting harder to get up and go to school everyday.

What I'd like to do (which is what I was *thisclose* to getting this past summer) is advise students of color about the college admissions process or collect oral histories of African American elders for a museum or college/university. In the meantime, I suppose that this year will be my chance to stack money and set goals for an escape date sooner than later.

Fellow teachers, any advice that you have about 2nd year burnout, charter vs. public schools, quarter year crisis, etc. will be greatly appreciated.

Week #1

Well, I made it through the entire week without crying. And then... the tears came late Sunday evening. The differences between this school and my old school are profound!

Old School:

• small, 'close-knit' environment (children often in the same classes together year after year)
• some parents/teachers have too close of a relationship w/ administration, resulting in many unprofessional situations
  
• no school-wide curriculum
• limited resources for special education/talented and gifted children
• long hours, low pay
• reasonable teaching load (1 class each--ELA & S.S., Sustained Silent Reading)
• remained in the same room for 2 out of 3 classes/ my own filing cabinet & storage space
  

New School:

• larger, more impersonal environment (children coming from a wide variety of schools/educational levels)
• administration has a backbone (my assistant principal is the bomb and will suspend a child in a heartbeat)!
• pacing guide, scripted lesson plans for the 1st three weeks
• somewhat adequate resources for special education/talented and gifted children (although not enough paraprofessionals and aides to go around)
• shorter hours, better pay
• reasonable teaching load (3 classes of ELA + duty 2-3 times a week)
• floating for all three classes, no filing cabinet or storage space beyond what the regular teacher gives

So, while I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to continue to teach, I've got to find my niche so that I'm not stressed out on Sunday evenings. Mainly, I need to find a way to balance the paperwork, get the discipline issues in order, and prepare as much as possible for the next day before I leave the school building.

Day 1

Well ya'll, I made it! Day 1 down, 179 left! Overall, it was a good day. I started off strong by reviewing my classroom expectations and procedures with the kids. I'm a floater this year and I have 3 preps so it's going to take some time to smooth out my schedule. Right off the bat, I can tell that my 1st period and last period groups have been in 'sub mode' aka I'm still gonna try to get over on this teacher even though I clearly acknowledged her request, so I've got to get them back into shape quickly. Thankfully, there's a school wide discipline policy so that should alleviate some of the chronic line-steppers. Speaking of that, teachers, how do you handle students who constantly test the rules? I have about 3-4 students in each of my classes that I'm going to have to keep a tight leash on, at least for the first couple of months.