Friday Nights

I always look forward to Fridays because I know then that there generally is some give when I get home from a long day (because there is no school on Saturday). At this point though, I don't think I can even kick back on Fridays. My body tells me, "You need this! You can't do work today or you will just freak out." Then my mind and everything else is saying, "You need all the time you can get because you're behind and everything is disorganized!" I never realized how type A you should be to be a good teacher among other qualities that you need such as being super super smart andcreative, having never-ending reserves of energy and a great sense of humor - all of which I do not have. (Type A in the sense that you get everything done as soon as it is given to you and that you know where everything is - which is so not the case for me. Super super smart so that you know all there is to know about various historical topics. Creative in the sense that you're not always "giving" them information but are finding ways so that they can learn the information themselves and make the learning more interactive and tailored to the needs of all students. Great sense of humor so that you can deliver the information in a funny and entertaining way and also be able to create an atmosphere where students feel at ease and like you.) If I were to take a picture of my workspace right now, all you would see is a sea of paper and I have yet to organize all of the paper that is in my backpack (aka a bag of bricks according to another teacher).

It's 10:41 PM and all I want to do is go to sleep. I have a hunch that I will do just that, but boy, I don't want to set the alarm though I should! (I don't know why my blog is set to California time!)

Boo

My school has two photocopy machines: one for the middle school and one for the high school. Both machines are somewhat older and they are leased from Xerox. These machines are notorious for breaking down. Last year the school had no working photocopiers for one whole week because it could not get a repairman to fix the copiers!

As a social studies teacher, what do you do since you need to look at primary sources? You go to Staples! Or, you go and print it out from the comfort of your own home.
Right now I am in the process of writing the multiple-choice portion of the first unit test (part I) for my AP World students. I originally intended to put 70 questions on the test to reflect AP test conditions, but I realize that's ridiculous due to two reasons:
1. too many pages
2. the questions will become too specific

We've covered 12 chapters and I broke the unit into two. Right now I am on question 37 and already have 7 pages. Thank goodness I only have 14 students in the class!! I am regretting breaking the unit into two and having the test over four days (one day for multiple choice, one day for essay - two units - therefore 4 days devoted to testing, grrr).

We are starting to get behind and I am getting anxious as I want to finish the second unit by December and test them for the end of the second marking period. We shall see how things go tonight with all this printing and with next quarter. . .

A Visit to the SAS Shoe Store

So I finally went to an SAS shoe store today to try on some shoes. Shoes like clothes, often do not look as nice when worn. None of the shoes were particularly flattering and they were not that comfortable (for me at least). The back of the shoe kept on digging into my ankle. From experience, I know that those types of shoes will give me blisters for at least two weeks. I didn't bother looking at sandals because it's not sandal weather. I do have to say that it still was nice to go out for once and do something that's not work-related. Now back to the grindstone.

Back to School Night

Today was Back to School Night and I am so glad that it's over!! At first I was nervous, but I realized that it wasn't all that bad. The parents just want to know what kind of person I am (I think). I hope I did not come across as a robot and that I showed that I care about their children!
What is cool about this evening is that I got to see where my students get their personalities and how they resemble their parents! For some children it was so clear because I was able to meet both parents. Some resemblances are so striking.

Hopefully the more I do this, the easier it will become! (along with everything else.)

Now time to study and lesson plan and sleep at 2 AM or later, yippee!

I am starting to surprise myself!

You know what's scary? I am starting to like certain shoe styles from the company, SAS (San Antonio Shoes). I think the majority of people who buy shoes and other products from SAS are usually in their 60s+. Two styles that stand out: Wink and Easier. If I am not mistaken, all of their shoes are made in the United States and the price point is not bad. I even checked out some of their handbags and two styles stick out because they look so practical, Dawn and Zipper. What is the world coming to?

Procrastination!

Columbus Day is this Monday and the students have the day off. Of course, teachers do not have the day off and instead have "professional development" which basically means we are forced to come in and work on our websites or curriculum mapping. Based on reading the "maps" of those in my department, I do not get the sense that this task is taken very seriously.

Since I do not teach on Monday, I've been a bit more lax than usual and slept a total of 14 hours (12 hours straight, then a 2 hour nap). On top of that I got a haircut and have been watching episodes from The Office. I just made a list of items that I need to finish before Tuesday and then reality hit me. Even though I do not teach students on Monday, I still have a ton to do. The work never ends. . .

First month

Teaching has been quite challenging. I am learning the material along with my students and have to manage their behavior, grade their work, and ideally try to stretch them and inspire them to want to learn.
I don't think I am doing a good job and I have not been sleeping much. Maybe next month will be better? Maybe I will get into the swing of things? I just think that since everything is new, no matter what, there will be no real break until December (and then I will be madly cramming and planning).
Back to School night is this coming Wednesday. I hope I won't be too awkward!