For weeks, there has been something going around, affecting lots of students at many of the schools I work at. One school, I had a class with thirty-three on the list, and only twenty students well enough to be there. But through all this time, I've been quite healthy — until now. Yup, I've got the latest crud going around. So I'm just trying to take it easy and rest, get what needs to get done done and little else, and get over this as quickly as I can. Fortunately, it seems pretty benign so far. (Famous last words, however, right?)
So, this past week has been pretty enjoyable. I ended up not getting a job on Monday (no surprise, it was a non-student day in one district anyway), a math job on Tuesday, science on Wednesday, and math classes on Thursday and Friday, both days for the same teacher. The nice part about this past week was it was all junior high, and I was requested for the math jobs. I guess I'm finally making a positive impression. I was able to talk with both of the math teachers, and asked one for a letter of recommendation, since her classes thought so highly of me, and she was impressed with my knowledge. On their last test, her class did very well on the material that I taught them, which made everybody happy, so I guess I've got it. I should probalby ask the other teacher for a letter as well, since he was popping in and out having some one-on-oone time with students who needed it, and he got to see a little of me at work as well.
Right now, the job applications are in a bit of a holding pattern. I've applied or updated my file in all of the nearby districts that have announced their openings, and I've got a few more to keep an eye on. Thank goodness for last Monday off, that gave me a chance to catch up. Now I can start thinking about some of the more far-flung places that I'd like to teach in, but again, not every place has openings available yet. If I end up having to take a day or two off this week to fight the crud, I'll work on the job hunt, but spring break is next week, so I'm currently in no rush.
No jobs lined up for this week so far, but I'm sure that will change soon. Maybe I should avoid PE this week, however.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
THIS is a nickname!
I'm going to break one of the biggest rules of my blog here: I'm going to name the school I was at today. It was Evergreen Junior High School, and I had a thought about their name. When I drove up, the nice large painting at the front of the school said something like, "Home of the Evergreen Eagles." And I had a flash: The school's teams should be nicknamed the Trees! See, then they'd be the Evergreen Trees...
Okay, never mind, it was only a passing thought...
UPDATE: Well, something that happened that day made the local paper. In fact, I was in the front row. No, I didn't get an autograph, but I did get one of the six-foot tall growth chart posters.
Okay, never mind, it was only a passing thought...
UPDATE: Well, something that happened that day made the local paper. In fact, I was in the front row. No, I didn't get an autograph, but I did get one of the six-foot tall growth chart posters.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
This past week of teaching
Wow, this is some of the most I've ever posted on this blog. But then again, I had a lot to say. So, Monday I had junior high shop (showed an episode of American Chopper to three of the classes). π Day on Tuesday, I had the day off, got a lot of stuff done, ran some errands, ate some pie. Wednesday I taught elementary PE, which is actually a lot of fun. Thursday and Friday, I filled in for a high school teacher, which included a little proctoring of the WASL, the big test that, for the first time this year, sophomores have to pass to be allowed to graduate. Pretty unexciting, actually. For this coming week, I have a math job lined up for Tuesday, but that's it so far. I'm sure something will turn up, however.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
I'm steamed right now
I had an interesting encounter last night. Since subbing doesn't quite cut the mustard, I've been supplementing my income the past few years by tutoring students at a well-known national chain. The other day, I had one student come in prepping for the SAT, and I was given the responsibility for the math section. Well, it was very clear to me that she was not ready for this. She had had two weeks to do the homework I'd given her, and that was only a few pages, and she hadn't done it, claiming she didn't have time (she'd only started it the night before). No problem, I said, we can work on it now. As we worked, it became clear that her skills are not where they need to be, either. She had to struggle with simple concepts like absolute value and solving a simple algebraic equation, and I had to tell her what to do several times. I understand that not everyone is strong in math, and I empathize with people who struggle, so I tried to do my best to help her. Fortunately, for her second hour (yes, she was there for two hours), my other students didn't show up, so I could work with her one-on-one. I could have taken another student from another teacher, but I felt this student really needed the attention. (The other teacher was helping her out on the verbal and writing sections of the SAT, and he later agreed that that was a good call, and he had no problem dealing with more than one student that hour as a result.) Later, after she was gone, I talked with one of our directors of education, and I'm pretty sure I convinced him that this student was not ready for the SAT.
Fast forward to yesterday. As soon as I got in, the center director called me in, and told me that something I said made her feel stupid. Huh? So I pressed for details, but he didn't have any! He didn't know what I said, as he hadn't even talked to the student. He'd gotten the news from one of the directors of education who had talked with the student's mother. Not only that, the center director mentioned another incident of me being "insensitive" from a few weeks ago that he never even mentioned to me, and he didn't remember any of the details any more. Huh? So, armed with all this information, he reminded me to be more sensitive about what I'm saying to students, yada yada yada. Yeah, like I know what not to say now, that was really helpful.
Look, I don't deny that the student might have felt bad about what was going on. I know I was frustrated at the situation, and I'm sure she was as well. Having to do it for two hours (instead of the usual one) only made the situation worse. But I was doing everything I could to be encouraging and upbeat and helpful and enthusiastic, but all I get told is, "You said something that made her feel stupid, don't do it again."
What really frosts me, however, is this other incident. Either it was so insignificant that nobody decided to tell me, or I had forgotten about it. Well, if it was the latter, it's my fault, but I swear, I can't remember any discussions about similar incidents in the last few weeks. In any case, what was the point of bringing it up if neither one of us could remember the details? It just smacked to me of some of the baloney that was going on with my time in Marysville. The principal there would bring up little incidents that happened weeks earlier, or repeatedly bring up minor incidents that she'd already talked to me about when she had a new one to grill me for. Frankly, I really do not enjoy having my mistakes held against me more than once, nor do I appreciate people with gripes against me holding them in and not telling me until much, much later. If I mess up, I want and need to know as soon as possible, and I want to be trusted to have to deal with them only once and not have them thrown in my face again and again.
This job has been terrific, as it has given me stability over the past few turbulent years, and I've got to work with some terrific people — both students and staff. But this reprimand just rubbed me the wrong way, and it's got me in a major funk. How can I not do it again if I don't even know what it was in the first place? And why am I accused of such a thing when I was put into such a challenging situation, anyway? Sheesh. It really makes me wonder why I even get out of bed some mornings.
Fast forward to yesterday. As soon as I got in, the center director called me in, and told me that something I said made her feel stupid. Huh? So I pressed for details, but he didn't have any! He didn't know what I said, as he hadn't even talked to the student. He'd gotten the news from one of the directors of education who had talked with the student's mother. Not only that, the center director mentioned another incident of me being "insensitive" from a few weeks ago that he never even mentioned to me, and he didn't remember any of the details any more. Huh? So, armed with all this information, he reminded me to be more sensitive about what I'm saying to students, yada yada yada. Yeah, like I know what not to say now, that was really helpful.
Look, I don't deny that the student might have felt bad about what was going on. I know I was frustrated at the situation, and I'm sure she was as well. Having to do it for two hours (instead of the usual one) only made the situation worse. But I was doing everything I could to be encouraging and upbeat and helpful and enthusiastic, but all I get told is, "You said something that made her feel stupid, don't do it again."
What really frosts me, however, is this other incident. Either it was so insignificant that nobody decided to tell me, or I had forgotten about it. Well, if it was the latter, it's my fault, but I swear, I can't remember any discussions about similar incidents in the last few weeks. In any case, what was the point of bringing it up if neither one of us could remember the details? It just smacked to me of some of the baloney that was going on with my time in Marysville. The principal there would bring up little incidents that happened weeks earlier, or repeatedly bring up minor incidents that she'd already talked to me about when she had a new one to grill me for. Frankly, I really do not enjoy having my mistakes held against me more than once, nor do I appreciate people with gripes against me holding them in and not telling me until much, much later. If I mess up, I want and need to know as soon as possible, and I want to be trusted to have to deal with them only once and not have them thrown in my face again and again.
This job has been terrific, as it has given me stability over the past few turbulent years, and I've got to work with some terrific people — both students and staff. But this reprimand just rubbed me the wrong way, and it's got me in a major funk. How can I not do it again if I don't even know what it was in the first place? And why am I accused of such a thing when I was put into such a challenging situation, anyway? Sheesh. It really makes me wonder why I even get out of bed some mornings.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
π, we've got π...
It looks like I have the day off, as nobody has called me for a job. Fine with me, since today is the most important holiday of the year for math teachers: π Day! Yes, this is the day (3/14) when we celebrate the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter (3.14...). So, here are some links to celebrate the day (which, by the way, is also Albert Einstein's birthday):
I think, later today, Laura and I are going to go out and get some custard tarts to celebrate. (Well, they are small pies...)
UPDATE: Yup, Laura and I ate custard tarts. At 3:14 p.m., no less. (Not that she was terribly happy waking her up from her nap then. And she couldn't wait, she started nibbling at 3:13...)
- Here's a rerun: A Musical Tribute to π (a good one to have on in the background while you browse the rest of these links). Ooh! And here's the complete song as an MP3 file!.
- Another rerun: π to a million places, which has one of the best URLs I've ever seen: http://3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592.com/.
- π Day activities here and here.
- π Day in Wikipedia
- π Day resources, which also reminds us that this year sees the tricentennial (that's three hundred years, doncha know) of π being used as the symbol for this all-so-important number.
- So to celebrate this day, send your sweety-π a π Day greeting card!
I think, later today, Laura and I are going to go out and get some custard tarts to celebrate. (Well, they are small pies...)
UPDATE: Yup, Laura and I ate custard tarts. At 3:14 p.m., no less. (Not that she was terribly happy waking her up from her nap then. And she couldn't wait, she started nibbling at 3:13...)
Monday, March 13, 2006
Playing catch-up
Well, I have a few minutes this morning, I can pop in and let you know what's been going on. But I'm probably going to be pretty quiet over the next few weeks, as my top priority right now is filling in applications and otherwise hunting for a job for next year.
So this past week, I actually spent the whole time teaching math. Okay, one day was only a half day where it turned out I was only needed to teach just one class, but that gave me some badly needed downtime that morning. The last three days of the week, I filled in for the basketball coach while their team was at the state tournament. Although heavily favored, they lost the first game, and eventually came in eighth, but it was still exciting to work where the students were up for the team. Needless to say, they didn't have a lot to do, partly because the coach had other things on his mind and probalby didn't want to bog himself down with a lot of work this week, and partly because he didn't know what kind of teacher he was getting, and wanted to make the work pretty simple for someone without a math background. Still, I was able to help out a few students here and there, but these are some of the more advanced students, so it wasn't terribly hard for me at all.
This week is the WASL, the big comprehensive statewide test. And for the first time, the sophomores have to pass it to graduate, so some extra pressure there. I suspect that will mean a slight reduction in work for me, but so far that's not the case, as I have a junior high tech ed (shop and/or computers) job today, and the week is still young...
So this past week, I actually spent the whole time teaching math. Okay, one day was only a half day where it turned out I was only needed to teach just one class, but that gave me some badly needed downtime that morning. The last three days of the week, I filled in for the basketball coach while their team was at the state tournament. Although heavily favored, they lost the first game, and eventually came in eighth, but it was still exciting to work where the students were up for the team. Needless to say, they didn't have a lot to do, partly because the coach had other things on his mind and probalby didn't want to bog himself down with a lot of work this week, and partly because he didn't know what kind of teacher he was getting, and wanted to make the work pretty simple for someone without a math background. Still, I was able to help out a few students here and there, but these are some of the more advanced students, so it wasn't terribly hard for me at all.
This week is the WASL, the big comprehensive statewide test. And for the first time, the sophomores have to pass it to graduate, so some extra pressure there. I suspect that will mean a slight reduction in work for me, but so far that's not the case, as I have a junior high tech ed (shop and/or computers) job today, and the week is still young...
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Hi, what's up?
Well, not much to tell you. I've had six good days of teaching in the last six work days, but nothing spectacular. Some high school English, some elementary PE, some high school science... I'm not even sure I can remember all the jobs I had this past week.
A couple of interesting things stand out, however. One is an incident while I was teaching a sixth grade class, They were a great bunch of kids, very helpful when I got lost, that sort of thing. But there was one girl in the class who liked one of the boys — and she demonstrated it by frequently sneaking up behind him and giving him a hug. I could tell just by the look on his face that this was not reciprocated (well, he is a sixth grade boy, girls do mature faster, he was clueless and not ready for it). One time when I caught her at it, I called her over and explained that it was not appropriate for school, which sobered her up right away. When I mentioned that it could even be construed as sexual harassment, she really sobered up, and to her credit (and his relief), she cut it out. I hope the message got through, but just in case, I also wrote a long note to the teacher about it. I hope the teacher, who is a woman and knows the student much better than I could, can give her a better talk about it. I don't want to squelch the student's enthusiasm, just channel it in the right direction. I also she has patience, it's going to be at least another year, most likely, before the boys can figure out how to handle her. (On a side note, I hope she does keep expressing her interest in boys she likes, in a positive way. When I was that age, I wish someone had whacked me over the head with a clue-by-four!)
The other standout is not one single thing, but a phenomenon. Twice this past week, I stepped in for teachers who had had subs — different subs — the day before. That can be very tough for not only the new sub, but also the students, who don't know what is going on. One of those cases was the sixth grade class I just talked about, and as I said, they were pretty good about cluing me in. It helped, however, that once I realized the situation, I asked them to keep me clued in. I found the teacher's plans, as she'd had some time to come in and get things set, but not much, as the plans were sketchy. Maybe she thought the previous sub would be back. Something similar happened with the high school science class. This is a teacher whose new daughter apparently has been very sick, and he's being a good father and helping to take care of her. However, he's been out frequently over the past few weeks as a result (I even was in for him one day a few weeks ago), and his students are getting very frustrated. His astronomy classes are especially annoyed at all the videos they have been watching lately. I don't have a solution, but it would be a great service for everyone involved if a teacher retains a substitute if there is any possibility of the regular teacher being out for another day. That could at least avoid the revolving door of serial subs. In the case of the science teacher, he might want to think about finding a sub with a science background and making arrangements for him or her to step in when he can't be there. I don't know, it's tough, there are no easy answers.
Still working on that job hunt, but March looks pretty quiet so far, and I hope to get a lot more work going here soon as a result. I just wish I had all of my evenings and weekends free so I could concentrate on that, instead of having to work the second job. It's better now that I'm tutoring only two nights a week, but it still eats up more time than I care to spare.
A couple of interesting things stand out, however. One is an incident while I was teaching a sixth grade class, They were a great bunch of kids, very helpful when I got lost, that sort of thing. But there was one girl in the class who liked one of the boys — and she demonstrated it by frequently sneaking up behind him and giving him a hug. I could tell just by the look on his face that this was not reciprocated (well, he is a sixth grade boy, girls do mature faster, he was clueless and not ready for it). One time when I caught her at it, I called her over and explained that it was not appropriate for school, which sobered her up right away. When I mentioned that it could even be construed as sexual harassment, she really sobered up, and to her credit (and his relief), she cut it out. I hope the message got through, but just in case, I also wrote a long note to the teacher about it. I hope the teacher, who is a woman and knows the student much better than I could, can give her a better talk about it. I don't want to squelch the student's enthusiasm, just channel it in the right direction. I also she has patience, it's going to be at least another year, most likely, before the boys can figure out how to handle her. (On a side note, I hope she does keep expressing her interest in boys she likes, in a positive way. When I was that age, I wish someone had whacked me over the head with a clue-by-four!)
The other standout is not one single thing, but a phenomenon. Twice this past week, I stepped in for teachers who had had subs — different subs — the day before. That can be very tough for not only the new sub, but also the students, who don't know what is going on. One of those cases was the sixth grade class I just talked about, and as I said, they were pretty good about cluing me in. It helped, however, that once I realized the situation, I asked them to keep me clued in. I found the teacher's plans, as she'd had some time to come in and get things set, but not much, as the plans were sketchy. Maybe she thought the previous sub would be back. Something similar happened with the high school science class. This is a teacher whose new daughter apparently has been very sick, and he's being a good father and helping to take care of her. However, he's been out frequently over the past few weeks as a result (I even was in for him one day a few weeks ago), and his students are getting very frustrated. His astronomy classes are especially annoyed at all the videos they have been watching lately. I don't have a solution, but it would be a great service for everyone involved if a teacher retains a substitute if there is any possibility of the regular teacher being out for another day. That could at least avoid the revolving door of serial subs. In the case of the science teacher, he might want to think about finding a sub with a science background and making arrangements for him or her to step in when he can't be there. I don't know, it's tough, there are no easy answers.
Still working on that job hunt, but March looks pretty quiet so far, and I hope to get a lot more work going here soon as a result. I just wish I had all of my evenings and weekends free so I could concentrate on that, instead of having to work the second job. It's better now that I'm tutoring only two nights a week, but it still eats up more time than I care to spare.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
