So...just got through my first "week" (it was really only 2 1/2 days) of school. "Got through" is definitely the right word choice. It was pretty stressful, and pretty tough. I'm hopeful, however, that things will be better. I came down w/ a nasty cold the night before the first day, and didn't sleep well (partly the cold, partly nerves). The cold was in full swing the first day. I could barely speak by the end of the day, and was generally worn out and exhausted. To make things even better, I WAY under planned for the week, and used up all of my lesson content in that first day. So, I was up until 3am that morning planning for all 7 of my classes. It's a lot of work. I'm teaching 6th Grade Reading, 6th Grade Writing, 6th Grade U.S. History, 7th/8th Grade Reading, 7th/8th Grade Writing, 7th/8th Grade Ancient History, and a High School Creative Writing class. Each class requires its own lesson plan. So, I keep myself pretty busy on a daily basis getting ready for school. I just have to find my groove, get myself a little bit ahead, and then I can probably ease up on all the extra planning time. That will be nice. To add even more, I'm thinking about coaching Cross Country. There is a decent sized group of High School kids that want to do it, but there's no coach. So we'll see.
I'm still trying to figure out the students. I don't know what motivates them, what their interests are, and haven't gained their trust yet. They don't really trust teachers that much, and I suppose I don't blame them. Every year or so there's pretty much a wholesale change of staff. It makes it hard on the kids - having no continuity, consistency, and probably thinking that nobody really cares. It makes things tough - both for them, and me. Thank God the staff here is so supportive. Every one is so nice, and willing help. It makes everything a lot easier. It also sounds like all the teachers are having the same struggles that I am, so it's nice to know that it's not just me, or my my teaching. It's only been 3 days, so I gotta believe it'll get better over time, it's just a little overwhelming sometimes.
One of the teachers, Cindy, has become, as Dorothy and I put it, our "Atmau Mom" (don't feel threatened, Mother Mary!). She provides a lot of support for us, and kind of takes care of us (gave us little goodie bags after our first day & gave me a bunch of Vitamin C when I got sick). Her actual family is coming up in November, and Dorothy and I joke that we're going to feel abandoned when she spends more of her time w/ her real kids.
We've had a string of nice weather recently (once school starts, of course...) so I've been trying to get out and walk around a little bit. I've been able to do some berry picking, and have picked a couple cups worth of blueberries (yum!). I also got my SMART Board installed this weekend! It's too far away from an outlet right now, so I need an extension cord of some kind to plug it in, but I'm super happy it finally came (it was supposed to get here this past Monday).
I also started receiving a bunch of my mail yesterday. I ordered a bunch of food and general supplies, and Dad & Lane both sent me some stuff and I got almost all of it. Being up here makes you appreciate mail SO MUCH. I was literally about the happiest I can remember when I went to the post office and saw all those boxes w/ my name on them. It's like Christmas - maybe even better...
So yeah, things have been challenging these past few days, but after talking w/ some of the other teachers and my principal I feel a lot better. I've got some ideas for how I'm going to assess my students' abilities, and some ideas on how to teach some of the material and how to structure my lessons. So we'll see how it goes. I've got my teaching coach coming out to the village on Monday, my State Mentor coming out by the end of the month, and we also have some training this coming week. I also have Parent-Teacher Conferences this Thursday. Hopefully, I'll be able to gain some insight on my students and address some issues as well. But it's keeping me busybusybusy.
I'm so glad, I'm not the only new teacher. Dorothy and I have spent a lot of time together talking about, lamenting, laughing about, etc. our experiences and it's been really good to have someone going through very similar things right now.
So...bottom line: this is definitely a challenge. But it's only the first week which means there's lots of time to figure things out, and I've got an awesome group of people around me for support. Better yet, I'm optimistic and I've got some things to try. So...we'll see what happens. Thanks for tuning in, hope you're enjoying this, and God Bless!
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