October 31, 2007
I apologize to those of you who have been waiting for an instant report after my first day of teaching. There's so much to do (even now) that I barely have time to eat. Now I have survived two days and I'm going back for more! I teach over 100 kids every day- divided among 5 different classes, mostly freshmen and all very wound up. They're good kids... they've just been lacking proper guidance and management for the past month.
I feel like I'm in an episode of Quantum Leap where I've been dropped into a potentially dangerous situation, and I have to figure out what happened and fix it real quick before an impending disaster occurs. This MUST be harder that starting fresh at the beginning of a year - trying to figure out where the previous teacher left off, get to know the students and learn all the school's systems as fast as possible. I can barely manage to pull together enough activities for the next day before I hit my mandatory bed time. That's one thing I won't compromise, however, the past couple night have been so riddled with dreams of being unprepared for school and being caught in desperate moments that I wake up in a sweat every couple hours.
I leave before Savannah wakes up and get home just before her bed time. It's making me sad to realize how much less quality time I'll have with her and Kathy. My commute is wonderful, though. I took my bike on BART (our mass-transit train) which dropped me off within a couple miles of the school. From there, I discovered a smooth, scenic hike/bike trail that follows a canal directly to the school. It was so beautiful and refreshing as the sun came up, and I was amazed by the number of people getting out that early to exercise!
Well, that's it for now. I gotta get to my preparations! I'll write in more detail when I can spare the time. I really appreciate the good thoughts from those of you who responded to my last posting. Thank you!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
A New Beginning
October 26, 2007
It's official: I have been officially accepted as an Earth Science teacher at Ygnacio Valley High School!
After the current school year began, I started losing hope of finding a perfect position and thought I'd be a sub until next year. One evening, about two weeks ago, I just decided to check the web site where all public school positions are posted, and up popped one for Earth Science! I figured, why not? It never hurts to apply, right? Well, I received a call from the principal at Ygnacio Valley High the very next day. I guess she liked my cover letter. It turns out that a someone who was trying out teaching for the first time decided it was not for him, and the school was anxious to find a replacement.
We got into a lengthy conversation the following Sunday afternoon, at the end of which, the principal asked if I wanted the position. I was caught off-guard, expecting a more formal interview, but she seemed to believe I had what they were looking for. It didn't require a second thought on my part!
There are a number of positive aspects to accepting this position:
--> My day starts with a "prep" period, so I don't actually start teaching until 9:00a.m.
--> I get to teach one period of keyboarding/computer applications
--> The school is rated just low enough that I qualify for a significant tuition-repayment program
--> With a full-credential, I get to participate in a teacher-induction program with my own mentor
--> I get my own classroom!
So, I expect to start teaching next Monday which coincides with the beginning of a new quarter. I'm fairly nervous and know there is more preparation to do than I have time for, but the most important thing is to have infrastructure and classroom procedures/policies in place. I really hope to make a fresh start on the right foot with my students, even though it's not the beginning of the year.
I'd appreciate any good thoughts you can send my way... :)
It's official: I have been officially accepted as an Earth Science teacher at Ygnacio Valley High School!
After the current school year began, I started losing hope of finding a perfect position and thought I'd be a sub until next year. One evening, about two weeks ago, I just decided to check the web site where all public school positions are posted, and up popped one for Earth Science! I figured, why not? It never hurts to apply, right? Well, I received a call from the principal at Ygnacio Valley High the very next day. I guess she liked my cover letter. It turns out that a someone who was trying out teaching for the first time decided it was not for him, and the school was anxious to find a replacement.
We got into a lengthy conversation the following Sunday afternoon, at the end of which, the principal asked if I wanted the position. I was caught off-guard, expecting a more formal interview, but she seemed to believe I had what they were looking for. It didn't require a second thought on my part!
There are a number of positive aspects to accepting this position:
--> My day starts with a "prep" period, so I don't actually start teaching until 9:00a.m.
--> I get to teach one period of keyboarding/computer applications
--> The school is rated just low enough that I qualify for a significant tuition-repayment program
--> With a full-credential, I get to participate in a teacher-induction program with my own mentor
--> I get my own classroom!
So, I expect to start teaching next Monday which coincides with the beginning of a new quarter. I'm fairly nervous and know there is more preparation to do than I have time for, but the most important thing is to have infrastructure and classroom procedures/policies in place. I really hope to make a fresh start on the right foot with my students, even though it's not the beginning of the year.
I'd appreciate any good thoughts you can send my way... :)
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