it's a new day

I realize it's been over a week since my last post. A week seems so long now, since I had been updating every couple of days. But a lot has happened since my last blog. I feel more like a teacher every day. Like I told my friend Janelle, this is my test year, to see if I really want to be a teacher or not. So far it seems to fit me just fine, although the responsibility and the work load becomes heavier by the class period. I appreciate the QSM (Quality Schools Model) and the Standards Based system, and I know why they do it, and I agree with it, but it is a huge challenge. This is not even a normal teaching job. My prep period is only if I come in early in the morning and/or stay late after school. During the day I have 40 minutes at lunch, which is usually spent hanging out with Janelle and Adrianna. Yeah, we're kind of friends.

I teach seven classes. My kids are great, and I pretty much have the same kids all the time, which is good, because I can get to know them. But every day I seem to be in a rush to figure out what I am going to do. It's a good thing I work well under pressure. That doesn't mean my lessons are necessarily good, but at least I am able to put things together. Janelle and I try to stay on the same track as much as possible, because it helps us both to bounce ideas with someone. I wish I had a picture of my classroom to show you. But then again, it's really not all that exciting.

I am reading "Freak the Mighty" with my Reading Extentions class (total of 3 kids, one of whom is gone for 2 months, 1 is gone just today until next week, so there's just one left...). When I was in college I took this Educating Exceptional Learners class, which actually turned out to be pretty helpful now, but my professor (Dr. Cathy Freytag) read this book out loud to us throughout the semester. As I'm re-reading this book, I'm hearing it in her voice. And then I remember how much I miss all the people that have been so important to me. This is a subject that has been on my mind quite a bit lately.

This seems a little depressing, this post. I don't really know what else to say. I am a teacher. I do what teachers do. This is my life now. It's really not depressing, I swear. I did have a cold a couple days ago, but I am better now. Being sick was a little sad. Now I am just teacher tired.