Two Weeks

November 9, 2007
Well, I'm still surviving one day at a time, but most things are running smoothly so far. I'm fortunate to have an especially supportive department that meets every day during lunch to share ideas on lessons and strategies for classroom management. My teaching coach meets with me for an hour each week and is really knows his stuff. There are so many technicalities/legal details to know about teaching as well as diplomatic ways of relating with students and parents, I feel like he may as well be my lawyer and confidential sounding-board. So, no matter how overwhelmed, stressed or disillusioned I may get, it's reassuring to know I'm not alone.

That said, I am still struggling to pull in the reins on these classes that have been running wild since the beginning of the year. I'm gaining respect and appreciation from those who obviously want to learn, but there's always that challenge of engaging those who could care less about science or school all together. They seem to do all they can to prevent a teacher from conducting the class so that they don't have to do any work. Looking at their grades for the first quarter, though, it's obviously affecting them personally. Every day, I've tried a different strategy to get their attention, make lessons more dynamic, and impose more consequences or rewards for their behavior.

At the end of the first week, I took a seat and let out an enormous sigh. I opened the blinds next to my desk (which are usually closed to prevent distractions to students) and found a beautiful scene before me. My room is on the edge of campus, looking across a grassy field and a stream that runs perpendicular to the building. A great white heron was perched on the bridge across the stream, and the setting sun was illuminating the majestic Mount Diablo in the near distance. According to a sign at the summit, it is possible to view the second greatest surface area seen from any peak in the world, exceeded only by the 19,340 foot (5,895 m) Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. Nice conversation piece for Earth Science.

I suddenly felt filled with peace and purpose that I haven't found in any other position since I left Mammoth Lakes 8 years ago. Finding this teaching opportunity feels like a spiritual connection - one that was created just for me and that I was guided to apply for just at the right moment. After all the years I talked about wanting to become a teacher and throughout the process of earning my masters, there was always a certain doubt whether it would actually happen. It wasn't until this very moment that I was struck with such excitement and disbelief, realizing I finally made it!