I want to suffer in your arms
My classroom has taken a bit of a step back. I've given up the Smart Board with projector-fed touch screen attached to my computer for a big black board and two boxes of chalk. None of you have seen me teach but you could imagine that I get excited about it and start dancing around wildly waving my arms in the air and scribbling whatever thoughts on the board. Well now imagine that in a cloud of chalk dust and you get and idea what I look like today. I have chalk in my hair, on my shirt and pants, coming out of my pockets, and in between my toes. As messy as it is, I enjoy the tactile feel of the chalk in my hand as it scrapes across the board. I've just got to learn how to manage my mess a little. I suppose I should get one of those chalk holders, but I couldn't imagine where I could get one around here. It's not something that people really stock in the average 100¥ store.
It seems that the students aren't everything I was sold on during the interview process. Michael wants to take this school to the IB level next year but I wonder if these kids can handle that type of work. I was doing Algebra 1 work in my precalculus class today which shook me to the core. I was expecting to be running to catch up with these kids but my lesson plans have all been moved back by a couple days and it's only the first real day of school. I suppose that they will start to pick up steam when they get back into a more scholarly mode. I mean, they all just got back from summer and unlike me they aren't chomping at the bit to get back into the math class.
Last night was rough and I woke up with little ambition to do much. I knew that it was Justin's wedding day and I wished that I could have been there to witness all of that. I suppose that was part of it, but a general malaise has spread across my life these last few days and it felt incredible to shake it off this morning. The few phone calls I made this morning did little to change my mood but as soon as I dusted off the overhead projector and began to talk with my Calculus students about their weekend assignment my day began to transform into something much more productive and positive. My momentum built through the first few classes and I am feeling strong and doing well. It is good to find a groove.
And yes, you could say that I am sort of a dork. But whatever, it makes me happy.
It seems that the students aren't everything I was sold on during the interview process. Michael wants to take this school to the IB level next year but I wonder if these kids can handle that type of work. I was doing Algebra 1 work in my precalculus class today which shook me to the core. I was expecting to be running to catch up with these kids but my lesson plans have all been moved back by a couple days and it's only the first real day of school. I suppose that they will start to pick up steam when they get back into a more scholarly mode. I mean, they all just got back from summer and unlike me they aren't chomping at the bit to get back into the math class.
Last night was rough and I woke up with little ambition to do much. I knew that it was Justin's wedding day and I wished that I could have been there to witness all of that. I suppose that was part of it, but a general malaise has spread across my life these last few days and it felt incredible to shake it off this morning. The few phone calls I made this morning did little to change my mood but as soon as I dusted off the overhead projector and began to talk with my Calculus students about their weekend assignment my day began to transform into something much more productive and positive. My momentum built through the first few classes and I am feeling strong and doing well. It is good to find a groove.
And yes, you could say that I am sort of a dork. But whatever, it makes me happy.
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