Good news:
I received a call from the principal of a school where I applied last year, asking if I was still interested in teaching Earth Science at their school. I went in for an informal interview last May and was really impressed with the structure and management of their school. It's still further from the bay area (which we already miss), but the pay is higher and housing is cheaper. Even though it's not our ideal location, Kathy agreed that it was a practical and responsible move, so I was delighted to turn in my resignation at the school in Concord and accept this new one.
My new school, Freedom High School, is in Oakley, CA. The year started earlier than almost every other school - on July 28th - which cut my summer short, but they make up for it with a nice 2-week break in October. They have a unique A/B-Day Schedule in which every class is 1.5 hours and we only have half of our classes each day. It makes lesson planning easier, but I also have 180 students! When it comes to grading, if I only spend 1 minute per student, it would take over 3 hours!!!
My classroom is oddly shaped - similar to a triangle but with 5 sides - more like a baseball home plate. It has 18 lab tables that seat 2 students each. I've already tried 3 different arrangements of desks and chairs, but the shape of the room makes it quite difficult to have it so that everyone can face the front and it's not impossible to get around. It has plenty of storage, a nice, big skylight right in the middle of the room, and 3 giant dry erase boards that slide to reveal a big-screen TV. I'm quite pleased with my new home. :-)
The first few days, all the freshmen go through "Boot Camp" which is a cool way for them to get to know each other through ice-breaker games, get oriented with the campus, learn the rules and strategies to help them be successful. This gave me two whole days without students so I could get further organized and prepared. I'm still struggling to learn everyone's name - I'd say I know at least 90% by now, but every time I rearrange their seats, I seem to forget about half of them.
We just finished the first quarter, and I'm already thoroughly enjoying our October vacation. Our family has a fairly packed itinerary for the next two weeks. I just hope to have some time to finish grading from last quarter and be more prepared for when we return.
I'd like to hear if anyone gets this far in reading my blog. Please leave me comments, and let me know if you are interested in seeing any pictures. I'll try to do another update in a few weeks.
Showing posts with label new school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new school. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
As if it wasn't bad enough...
California is currently rated the 2nd lowest state in the country for the academic performance of our students. Yet, Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed to cut $5.5 BILLION from education in order to close the $8 billion state deficit. That's nearly 70% - and certainly not an area that should be undercut in it's current condition.
My district alone - with 6 public high schools - will sacrifice $14 million from next year's budget, which the administrators determined will require cutting almost 100 positions. They said EVERY new teacher will get a preliminary pink slip, but many of us will be rehired. I have been reassured that Science teachers are especially in demand, so my position should be safe.
It has been 3 months since last blog entry, and things have certainly not become any easier. With an hour commute each way and working well over 12 hours a day, it's hard to resist thinking of other ways to make a living. I just have to keep reminding myself that the first year of teaching is always the hardest and that it can only get better... if we could only elect leaders that care about the education of our country!
My district alone - with 6 public high schools - will sacrifice $14 million from next year's budget, which the administrators determined will require cutting almost 100 positions. They said EVERY new teacher will get a preliminary pink slip, but many of us will be rehired. I have been reassured that Science teachers are especially in demand, so my position should be safe.
It has been 3 months since last blog entry, and things have certainly not become any easier. With an hour commute each way and working well over 12 hours a day, it's hard to resist thinking of other ways to make a living. I just have to keep reminding myself that the first year of teaching is always the hardest and that it can only get better... if we could only elect leaders that care about the education of our country!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Barely Breathing
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!
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!
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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