Friday, September 02, 2005
September is the cruelest month.
[NOTE: The following was typed up yesterday morning, but my Internet was down...or at least my little corner of it was.]
Don’t let the poets tell you otherwise. When it comes to cruelty, September has it over any other competition in the calendar. Now after two full years as a public educator, you would think my skin would have hardened somewhat to the vagaries of the month. But it still stings.
Maybe it’s because once September rolls around, the start of the school year finally becomes real. Up to this point, it’s always been over the horizon, extending its shadow across the bright, happy times in summer. But once the calendar pages turn to September, that’s it. Game over for students and teachers alike.
Ironically despite being viewed by some as a “veteran teacher,” this year my concerns have doubled along with my number of subjects and my number of classrooms. Yes...that’s right. This year, I am going to have two...two...two classrooms! My room for the past two years will serve as home base for my physical science classes, but my chemistry students (including one class of honors...great...) will be experiencing chemistry from the luxury of the school’s physics lab. Yes. Physics lab. For chemistry.
(Non-sequitur: The sun has just risen out my window and damn if it isn’t the most beautiful start one could ask for this day. It looks like the flag of Japan pasted on a purple-grey backdrop. Seriously, I can stare at it without blinking.)
The reason for this anomalous classroom placement is the principal’s desire to avoid intermixing between freshmen and upperclassmen whenever possible. The freshmen are to be restricted to the first two floors. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors stick to the third and fourth floors. This ultimately means a lot more running around on my part, not to mention the inconvenience of ensuring adequate supplies in two classrooms, rather than one. Like overhead projectors. Or computers upon which to keep attendance. And since I’m now teaching multiple grades, report cards and interim reports will be more complicated.
The schedule for this year has some advantages. It’s relatively symmetrical so far as class time goes. I’m going to teach no more than two hours in a row, and I will have adequate time to prep for my chemistry classes. Plus because I’m now forced to float, I may not have a homeroom, which will significantly cut down on administrative paperwork throughout the year. Finally, I have been promised at least two classes (one phys. sci, one chem.) of honors kids, which means that management issues should not be as serious a concern.
Given all that, why am I still dreading the first day with students? Partly, it’s because I’ve seen some of these juniors a few years ago and remember their immaturity. Partly, it’s because these are honors students and I feel like I’m doing them a disservice. No one deserves to have a teacher who has never taught a subject before. And partly...well, I’m going to miss the freedom I have now. This summer I’ve watched dozens of movies, read a bunch of excellent books, finally dominated the Sunday night quiz with its raging round robin (though with a category of recurring Simpsons characters, victory was almost guaranteed from the start), and even got to see a few old friends. I sold my car (goodbye Benmobile Mark II), bought a new one (hello Benmobile Mark III), took 2 teaching exams (scores forthcoming), and attended several professional development conferences. The one thing I didn’t do was travel further than New England or the shore. And I probably should have made time for that since now my life will be dominated once again by the 1.5 mile commute from home to school.
Speaking of which, I should probably bolt.
Will post this later once my Internet is back.
[NOTE: The following was typed up yesterday morning, but my Internet was down...or at least my little corner of it was.]
Don’t let the poets tell you otherwise. When it comes to cruelty, September has it over any other competition in the calendar. Now after two full years as a public educator, you would think my skin would have hardened somewhat to the vagaries of the month. But it still stings.
Maybe it’s because once September rolls around, the start of the school year finally becomes real. Up to this point, it’s always been over the horizon, extending its shadow across the bright, happy times in summer. But once the calendar pages turn to September, that’s it. Game over for students and teachers alike.
Ironically despite being viewed by some as a “veteran teacher,” this year my concerns have doubled along with my number of subjects and my number of classrooms. Yes...that’s right. This year, I am going to have two...two...two classrooms! My room for the past two years will serve as home base for my physical science classes, but my chemistry students (including one class of honors...great...) will be experiencing chemistry from the luxury of the school’s physics lab. Yes. Physics lab. For chemistry.
(Non-sequitur: The sun has just risen out my window and damn if it isn’t the most beautiful start one could ask for this day. It looks like the flag of Japan pasted on a purple-grey backdrop. Seriously, I can stare at it without blinking.)
The reason for this anomalous classroom placement is the principal’s desire to avoid intermixing between freshmen and upperclassmen whenever possible. The freshmen are to be restricted to the first two floors. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors stick to the third and fourth floors. This ultimately means a lot more running around on my part, not to mention the inconvenience of ensuring adequate supplies in two classrooms, rather than one. Like overhead projectors. Or computers upon which to keep attendance. And since I’m now teaching multiple grades, report cards and interim reports will be more complicated.
The schedule for this year has some advantages. It’s relatively symmetrical so far as class time goes. I’m going to teach no more than two hours in a row, and I will have adequate time to prep for my chemistry classes. Plus because I’m now forced to float, I may not have a homeroom, which will significantly cut down on administrative paperwork throughout the year. Finally, I have been promised at least two classes (one phys. sci, one chem.) of honors kids, which means that management issues should not be as serious a concern.
Given all that, why am I still dreading the first day with students? Partly, it’s because I’ve seen some of these juniors a few years ago and remember their immaturity. Partly, it’s because these are honors students and I feel like I’m doing them a disservice. No one deserves to have a teacher who has never taught a subject before. And partly...well, I’m going to miss the freedom I have now. This summer I’ve watched dozens of movies, read a bunch of excellent books, finally dominated the Sunday night quiz with its raging round robin (though with a category of recurring Simpsons characters, victory was almost guaranteed from the start), and even got to see a few old friends. I sold my car (goodbye Benmobile Mark II), bought a new one (hello Benmobile Mark III), took 2 teaching exams (scores forthcoming), and attended several professional development conferences. The one thing I didn’t do was travel further than New England or the shore. And I probably should have made time for that since now my life will be dominated once again by the 1.5 mile commute from home to school.
Speaking of which, I should probably bolt.
Will post this later once my Internet is back.
