Procrastination

I have reached a new stage in my career: procrastination. For the first time since starting school this year, I have been able to sit and not work when I should be.

This might not sound that exciting, but it is to me. You see, I work better under stress. If I have too much to do, I work amazingly well. In fact, that is what carried me from July through November without looking up.

And now I'm past that first huff. I can sit back and surf the internet during school hours with a stack of ungraded papers in front of me. Proudly.

P.S. I have to brag. My boyfriend now has a CHOICE of medical schools.

Easy

I have to blog early today, because my parents are taking me out to dinner tonight, and they'll be upset if I haven't blogged by the time they leave work. They are driving all the way up here to feed me! And bring me clean clothes!

Today was surprisingly easy. I say surprisingly, because I didn't know what to expect. Today through Thursday is "online testing" for 8th grade. They want to get a gauge on the 8th graders' science content knowledge in advance of the CMT, so they give them an electronic test twice during the year, once at the beginning and once at the end.

This is great for me for a couple of reasons. First, I don't have to make it or grade it. All done electronically. Second, it gives me a report on what students know what information that will be on the CMT. The only silly part is that because of scheduling complications, the test will be given now and in February. Not a whole lot of time to fill in gaps in knowledge in that time, which kind of defeats the purpose of the two testing dates.

Still, the testing was easy for me (kids knew what to do already from the English and math testing they did last week) and it gave me a chance to focus my energy on only two classes (the 7th graders aren't testing this year), without all the craziness that we get on half days or other times when I only have two classes in a day. And both the classes went well because I worked hard. Especially Red, even though they sucked out all my energy. It took everything I had, but I got through a lesson without letting ANYTHING slide. It was beautiful. And I discussed the idea of a mascot with Orange, so now they're called Team Swag. Red, Team Swag, Yellow, Green, and Blue.

I've been pretty good about not complaining about some of the messy TFA logistical stuff, but I have a little complaint to make. We had an assignment due yesterday (which I noticed was not completed by several of my peers). I understand why they would make us tidy up our lesson plans, and I even understand why they make us organize and rename a series of files. What really bothered me, though, was that I had to upload 21 files INDIVIDUALLY. There was no way to upload multiple files at once. There are better ways to spend 10 minutes of my life.

Ok, done now.

Today will be my stay late day. I have a ton of grading to do, and I might even get a chance to start planning for the last two weeks before Christmas Break!

After Thanksgiving

I think that I've been telling myself so many times that it would get better after Thanksgiving...it did. Either that, or the kids were still tired from vacation today.

The end of last week was chaos in the classroom, but at 1:20 PM on Wednesday I booked it out of there. I drove home and spent a few days with my family. My weekend was wonderful. I had 2 home-cooked family dinners, one major medical emergency to respond to (5 patients and only 2 ambulances!), and a couple of days lounging with the boyfriend.

This morning started out with an accidental extra 30 minutes of sleep, and then a VERY hurried 10 minutes as I threw on clothes and ran out the door. I managed to make it to school with enough time to turn on my computer before meeting with my mentor.

Morning double-period lab ran smoothly, with a more challenging class of mine. I think I need to name my classes so you can identify them. I'll name them after colors. Here goes:

Red: My homeroom class. 7th grade. Certainly one of the more social and energetic groups. Loyal to me, usually.

Orange: The other 7th grade class. Usually, the most smoothly running class.

Yellow: 8th grade. The challenging class that required Adviser's help. Doing better.

Green: 8th grade. Really smart kids that need to be challenged constantly or chaos ensues.

Blue: 8th grade, with the four extremely social girls. Often at the end of the day.

This morning I had a smooth double period with Yellow.

During my first prep today, I had scheduled a "Cougar Coupon" event. When a student is good in class, they earn a Cougar Coupon (usually two students per period). At the end of the month, any student with 4 coupons or more can attend a special event thrown by us teachers. This month, I was in charge of the 7th grade event, so I planned a party that fit right within my budged: free time in the gym. I played basketball with my 7th graders and it was awesome. As in fun, not as in I'm awesome at basketball. I'm actually pretty terrible. After several chances of an unblocked shot, I finally scored once towards the end. My team lost about 10-5. I got sweaty and tired, but it was great. It also helped me connect with some of my tougher kids.

The rest of the day ran smoothly. It wasn't especially thrilling, and Orange proved a little more challenge than usual, but it was all pretty good. It's becoming more of a routine. Now it's time for my second try at sweaty yoga.

Mystery

Today actually started out wonderfully. My principal walked in during homeroom and COMPLIMENTED me. Like, she said she was impressed. Wow! I guess I truly am a 12-year old, requiring constant validation...because it totally made my day.

Of course, the challenge began second period. My classes today were almost entirely good. However, during the morning, I noticed that none of the four computers in the back of the classroom would turn on. Also, there was a keyboard missing keys...oh, wait, the keys are all over the floor back here (in the back corner alcove, which I can't see from my desk).

Okay, my first guess is that the girls in my challenging class did it. On Friday, I was working on a lab with the class, and I thought they were just back there talking. It never occurred to me that they would trash my computers. Now I know. Nobody is sitting back there any more. One more lesson learned. I even went the communicate-with-principal route and told her about it, even though I have one more week left in my 90 days. She looked disappointed in me, but not terribly surprised.

And then the plot thickens. After school, I tried to fix the keyboard and computers. At this point, I noticed that someone put some serious work into this project. Some keys were missing from one keyboard, but someone had also pried the buttons off of two of the mouses(? mice?). As in, there was plastic broken off. I then noticed that every computer had every single plug pulled out. Someone had methodically pulled the plug out of the back of every computer and out of the wall. The keyboards and monitors were also unplugged. I even had to pull the table away from the wall to discover this.

So, am I that bad at managing my classroom that a few girls had the time to methodically unplug every wire of four computers in the back of my classroom in a 40-minute period? Or did someone get in my classroom when I wasn't there? The custodians promised that nobody can get in the room after school, and the school is alarmed at night. So I guess it happened when I was there? I'm suspicious.

Whatever, it's pretty much fixed (I only need two working mice when I only have two working computers out of four). And I got some really good work on SF projects today from several classes. Half a day left, and then I'm OUTTA HERE. The moment school is over, I will be on the road sitting in pre-Thanksgiving traffic on I-95. And loving every minute of it.

In less than 24 hours, I will be able to say that I made it to Thanksgiving as a first-year teacher. It almost brings me to tears. The good kind. I think.

Countdown

1.5 school days until Thanksgiving.

On Friday, the old science teacher (also TFA) came to visit. I took one look at him and realized why the 8th grade girls don't like me. He's tall and good-looking. He's confident. According to a student, "he's blazing, Miss." I had a nice chat with him, and he gave me a bit of motivation. The week ended in a headache.

Saturday brought a full day of TFA PD. Oy. I got some good advice out of it, on several fronts, but I didn't have the energy to really engage in the workshops. Saturday work is tough. A lot of first years weren't really into it. It was useful listening to the second year teachers talk, though. And there were some TFA-standard uncomfortable discussions about race.

For the most part, today was REALLY GOOD. Two of my classes did really great work on a lab. I learned on Saturday that when I give them more responsibility, it takes longer to do the labs (duh), even though they learn more inquiry skills. If they don't know what they're doing, they don't like to do anything, so there is more explaining to do. I even learned a good technique for differentiating labs: I can create a lab, and then take out a few words (some variables, or the hypothesis) and make the students do it for more inquiry practice. I can add or take away entire sections (e.g. procedure, testable question) depending on the level of the class.

I had a good chat with our new temporary assistant principal. She seems like she'll be a great resource, and it's always nice to have an extra adult in the classroom.

My last class was tough, but I had hoped I'd get tired of writing before I got to explaining it. I am.

Now I'm off to enjoy my newest LivingSocial purchase, my first of 10 yoga classes for $40.

Aha!

I've survived my first round of report card conferences. I saw about 2/3 of my students' parents. Today I saw some more parents. It was a similar variety to last night. I saw a few parents that I thought could really help improve their students' performance, and I saw a few parents whose kids are perfect. Unfortunately, I had a couple of parents who came in frustrated and discouraged by their kids' repeatedly poor performance in school each year. It hurt me a little bit, and it seemed like every suggestion I had was already attempted. I wish I could help here.

It's getting to be that blah time of year, when the days are too short and there are consecutive cloudy days. It's harder to wake up in the morning. I'm getting a little unmotivated.

On the other hand, the job is becoming generally less stressful. I think things are getting more under control every day. I'm better able to sift through the millions of things I'm required to do every second, and sorting out the important from less important. I can better take criticism, even when it's different advice from different people, and incorporate the advice into my day. I'm learning more about bureaucratic processes.

My happy thoughts for the week: I'm sitting and watching South Park, enjoying my dinner before choir rehearsal. Tomorrow afternoon, I have a massage appointment. One day until the weekend!

I Survived Report Card Conferences...

...and all I got was this lousy list of names and phone numbers.

It's actually a useful list, although not a lot of new information. I saw about 15 parents, 8-10 in my homeroom. Of the parents I saw, about half of them had wonderful children. A few had nice kids who needed to do more homework. One parent of a nice, smart kid explained to me that she was crying because her son used to not do work and get terrible grades. This year, he was all A's and B's.

A couple of parents of challenging kids were there. There were a few more parents I'd have liked to see, but there's still tomorrow. Three parents I saw who I think might help their children improve. Those were the toughest. It's hard to be nice and friendly, while saying that their child needs improvement on work ethic and attitude. Fortunately, I was not the first teacher these parents had seen, so it wasn't news to them. These parents promised they'd help, either by working with their child or by checking up on their school work. I'm hopeful. It was nice to talk to them, and I think it will help.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to see the parents of my students who are failing. If they don't pick up the report card, they never find out. There's no accountability for some of these kids. I wish I could help them, somehow.

It was nice to hear from a couple of parents that they had received my message, and didn't have time to return the call. I got a couple of new phone numbers. All in all, a useful experience. Tomorrow should be less crowded, but I'm looking forward to it.

Report Cards!

Report card conferences are great for one major reason: half day of school! When I only teach 3 periods in a day, compared to the usual 5, I am much more able to put extra effort into my teaching. I had a good day with two of my classes, including homeroom.

My eighth grade unit 3 is going much more smoothly than unit 2, for several reasons. I am better about classroom management, so I have actually been teaching whole lessons to whole classes. I also have given more priority to student learning over teaching, so I don't rush to adhere to an arbitrary schedule created by some dumb inexperienced teacher (me). I may end the school year with one fewer unit, but they'll understand what I've taught better.

The weather is terrible, which doesn't help anything. I really need some more sunshine in my life. The weather will probably affect attendance at report card conferences this evening. From what I've heard, there are usually parents pushing their way in during the evening conference (4-6:30) and it's mostly empty during the afternoon conference (tomorrow, 1:30-4). And though I think it's counterproductive to cancel afternoon classes so we don't work goo many hours in a day (union regulations), I'm certainly not complaining.

I'm getting a little anxious, but my room is nice and clean. My desk is entirely cleared off (thanks for closets), except for a skeleton model and a 600 mL beaker full of Jolly Ranchers. I'm ready for this.

P.S. I can already hear small children screaming in the hallways. Oh boy, this will be interesting.

iPad!

I used my ipad in class today. A friend suggested a classroom management app to me, called Class Dojo. It gives me, on the Smartboard, an avatar for each student, and keeps track of all rewards and consequences with funny sound effects. The kids got a kick out of it (and I did too).

My bad class was good, thanks to my improving management, but my good class wasn't great, I guess due to my complacency. Once again, things are improving. Definitely improving, overall.

My long weekend was nice. I even got a little eager for school by Sunday night! School is getting less exhausting each day, and so weekends are getting less exciting (only slightly, though).

This week is report card conferences, which I'm a little nervous about. Report cards aren't sent home, because home addresses aren't very trustworthy around here, so parents pick up report cards. Students are dismissed early on Wednesday and Thursday, and parents arer bused in on Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon for short conferences. Last year, about 70% of parents attended, but I think the fact that we are in the swing space might affect attendance. It should certainly be interesting. Unfortunately, the kids who don't care and are failing probably have parents who won't or can't show up.

Onwards and upwards!

Moving Forward

Today, I forgot to tell him I was proud of him. "Get out of my face" student made a good decision today. During afternoon homeroom, the class was not following the rules, so I took away their afternoon snack. When this student realized he was not getting a snack, he stood up and walked over to the bag of snacks. I stepped in his way and smiled at him. He looked at me, sighed, and walked back to his seat. And I forgot to tell him I was proud of him for making that decision.

My day was easier than I expected at times, and harder than I expected at other times. My double period class did a good job on the lab, although they needed a lot of prodding to keep them on task. They have a habit of spending a lot of time chatting, and then copying each others' work to catch up. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this. They are getting the work done, but it's not entirely their own. Although, I shared work back when I was in school. I think I'll appreciate the effort for now, and work on their doing more work independently. Small steps. They even pestered me about doing more work on their SF projects. Okay!

My homeroom class was harder than expected. They had a test today, so I thought it would be easy. Right? Nope. At the start of the class, I had to break up a girl fight before it started in the hallway, while trying to keep the curious class in the classroom. While handing out tests. I ended up sending two kids to their mentor's classroom to take the test, two kids to the guidance counselor to take the test, and talking one kid out of storming out of the classroom. Eventually, though, I got them all silently working. I didn't look at the tests yet, but I have a good feeling (and lower expectations).

My last class, which was the one I had trouble with yesterday, was actually pretty good. They weren't great, but I got stuff done with them. Adviser was there during that class, so I was working extra hard on all of the specific advice I was given. And, of course, it worked. It really worked. I got through almost an entire lesson, and even handled an ice cream cake distraction halfway through the period. In a moment of daytime self-reflection, I came up with this description of my management skills, which directly correlate to class behavior:


















Now, it's an early weekend! I'm signing off until next week to celebrate Veteran's Day the way it should be celebrated: by sleeping late, getting a manicure, putting my pajamas back on, and watching TV. Thank you to those who have fought to protect my right to enjoy these indulgences.

I'm letting the bad things bother me less and the good things make me happy. And after he spoke to Principal, Adviser promised me I wouldn't get fired any time soon. Like my dad said, the most important piece of job feedback I get is deposited into my bank account every other Friday (or Thursday, in case of holiday, like this week).

Trial and Error

I decided to stay at school today until 7:15. I'm being really productive. This is my halfway point break.

Yesterday's PD was a good opportunity to network with other Bridgeport science teachers, and made me realize how lucky I am to have so many of those opportunities. There was a lot of sitting around getting lectured, but it was a nice relaxing day. I even got a haircut.

This morning, I had some difficulty getting a class to stay on task during a lab. I need to figure out better incentives. I think I gave them too much time to do it, so there as a lot less motivation to work hard. I need to give them the right amount of time to do labs.

My homeroom class was great during a game of Jeopardy. I found a good online Jeopardy template. I had to add in a few rules as we went along, such as "If anyone talks after we go back to the Jeopardy home screen, your team is disqualified from the next question" and "If your team buzzes in repeatedly (and loudly), you will be disqualified from the question." The kids got really into the review session, and even policed each other a little bit. It was fun!

My last class was challenging. Some of that was my fault, or things I need to improve. First, I had just come from lunch duty, and was especially cranky. Also, I need to figure out how to hold kids accountable for bringing their guided notes packets back to class. If I ask them to quiet down and begin the Do Now, but only 1/3 of the class has their packets (with the Do Now on it), the class will be chaos. And I never got them back. I did maybe get the key points across to many of the students, but it was painful. And I lost one of my race cars.

Afterwards, though, my adviser came to speak to me and give me some advice. I got a whole list of specific ways to improve on consistency with my classroom management. Before this year, I didn't even know that consistency was something that needed to be practiced! Apparently, it's the most important thing in teaching. Students should know exactly what to expect for every good or bad behavior. Oh boy. I have some work to do.

He also gave me a great piece of advice: don't think of giving consequences as punishment, think of it as teaching good behavior. This should keep me from getting angry, because as much as I try, I still get angry. And once I'm angry, my teaching goes downhill very quickly (Inertia!).

I also need to figure out a way to create class-wide negative consequences. I need to think about it, but Adviser's idea was to give them 20 minutes of "fun" (video? state test review Jeopardy) time each Friday, and take time away if they misbehave as a class.

Good ideas. New ideas make me excited for a new day. I keep noticing that teaching is trial and error, with huge successes and failures. Mentor and Adviser (and Principal) give me ideas, and some (many) work for me, but not all fit me perfectly. I have new things to try tomorrow, and Adviser will stop by to watch.

And then, at the end of the day, some kids in my homeroom class were gushing with enthusiasm for Science Fair. It reminds me that my job is pretty much to teach kids how to be curious. Best job ever? Not today, but getting there.

On a Roll

Really, I'm on a roll. At least, personally. I didn't cry at all today. I think I've overcome a big hump in not letting school affect my life outside. I did a big gym workout yesterday and I went running (with friends!) today. I might even go to spin class tonight. And, tomorrow's a PD day!

I met with the principal today. We cleared up some things, and I think it's okay. I have a better understanding of what is expected from me both as a teacher and as an employee. I think she genuinely wants to improve my teaching skills, rather than scare me away. Although, I can understand why she finds this frustrating. The last new science teacher she groomed became an excellent teacher by his second year, and then left. I will probably do the same.

The principal did give me a few pieces of concrete advice. I need to choose fewer rules for the classroom and enforce them all, every time. I have too much going on. Also, if I try to give 100% to every class every day, I will be less effective everywhere. I need to prioritize; I need to pick one class, every day, to focus on improving. The rest, I should maintain the status quo as far as classroom culture is concerned. And I can't pick the easy classes to focus on.

Two challenging students were good today, and one of those was exceptional. She not only finished her work, but helped her classmates as well. That is what I'm going to think about today.

Elevator Pitch

Yesterday I went to college. It was just for the night, but it was a great experience. Not only did it give me a chance to kick back and have fun for a night, but it also gave me the opportunity to share my experiences with some old friends.

About 8 of my friends from college were also back in Providence, so there was lots of catching up to do. Refining my experience so far into an elevator pitch really helps me realize what is important and why I do this. Maybe it took some cake batter-flavored vodka with glitter suspended in it to make me realize it, but I have a great job.

I teach 7th and 8th grade science in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The community is a lot like the south Bronx. My school is about 98% minority and a similar number receive free lunch. My job is really, really challenging. I need to be on 100% every minute that I teach, or the kids notice and take advantage of it. These kids were never taught that when they arrive at school every morning, they should be prepared to learn. They don't understand that by sitting quietly in class, they will be more successful in life as an adult and have more opportunities. In addition to this, they are 12 and 13, so add in the boy-girl and body-changing drama to all of it. Some of them don't get enough food each day. Some of them have difficult parents, or none at all, or have just been moved into foster care. And, at the end of the day, the district is most worried about keeping test scores up because of some misguided legislature from 10 years ago. But, once in a while, there is a kid who has not done a single bit of work all year who jumps up and helps his group make a race track so they can calculate the speed of a toy car. And then sometimes a small 7th grader, who doesn't say three words in a class period, stands up in front of the whole class and performs a dance describing the characteristics of living things. And even when two-thirds of a class fails the first exam, there are one or two questions that almost every student got correct because I worked really hard preparing that lesson. I have never worked so hard in my life, but I have also never had such an impact on so many kids' lives.

Yes I Am

I'm a good teacher, and nothing you say will change that. Well, maybe not that good, but I'm getting there.

Today was a pretty good day with my classes. The principal stopped by twice this morning, once during homeroom and once during science class with my homeroom class. The first time, the students were all in seats and chatting quietly. The second time, the class was a little loud, but largely on task. She asked a student, "What are you supposed to be doing?" He answered, perfectly, "We're writing testable questions for Science Fair." YES. Best answer.

I had my formal observation by the science chairperson, who told me that she thinks I'm great, and to ask her if I need anything. It's nice to have someone on my side, especially her. She is really helpful, and although my lesson didn't go perfectly, it went pretty well.

In the afternoon, I had a great save. A class came in disastrously, and wouldn't calm down. So, I kicked the loudest one out, and then taught like my life depended on it. Students who were taking notes got to follow the physics lesson with a toy car, and if they were off task I'd take it away. Eventually, I had 90% of the class listening intently, and dropping the car on the table when I explained about the invisible force of gravity. They did well on their exit tickets too.

After school, I met with my TFA adviser, and he gave me some useful insight. When my principal walks in my classroom, I try so hard to impress her that I pretend everything is okay, sometimes to the point of ignoring my class at that moment (while, say, trying to explain the daily objective). My pretending I'm doing great shows her that 1) I don't care about managing my classroom, and 2) I don't ask for or take advice. Oops. My adviser pointed out that my habit of getting defensive in that situation turns me into a person who doesn't appear to take criticism.

Oops. That is not me. Well, it is me, but it's only how I look. I get defensive. Even though, on the inside, I'm making lists and plans and posters and ideas and writing and improving. I need to communicate better.

And then my adviser reminded me that I'm doing great. That's all I need to hear sometimes.

Ouch

Today was probably the hardest day I've had so far as a teacher. And it had nothing to do with the kids.

My classes were really good today (mostly, anyway). I finally did the lab that I promised to the class that had been begging for it. They were great. They were a little too loud at times, but they were really enthusiastic about the racecar experiment. There were some pretty elaborate race courses, and I had all sorts of students volunteering the formula for calculating speed. I realized that many kids have cell phones with stopwatches on them, and so a couple of trustworthy ones can extend my resources much farther. A student that neither I, nor any other teacher, has seen put in an ounce of effort all year, was even participating today. Not only were the kids good, they even did an almost great job cleaning up afterwards.

My other classes were pretty average, although a student in my homeroom class spent the ENTIRE 40 minutes of class begging to be allowed to go to the bathroom. (After spending several class periods in the bathroom earlier this week, she's been forbidden to go unescorted.) There was a lot of talking back that I didn't do, as instructed by my book. I thought of some really good comebacks, though. ("I'm acting childish? I'm not the one pretending to cry.")

All of this, however, was overshadowed by a discouraged, weepy feeling that had been bothering me since I checked my mailbox this morning. Remember this incident? Apparently, when my principal visited my class yesterday and I totally froze up, it was because she was seeing how I'd improved. It was the WORST POSSIBLE TIME. It was probably in the bottom 10% of my teacher moments, and there she was. So, according to her, I have serious problems with classroom management. And, that's what the letter in my mailbox said. Right before it said "cc: school file".

I understand where she's coming from, I guess, because she's apparently only seen me at my worst moments, but a formal letter? It feels like I've been busting my butt for two months, only to get slapped in the face for not doing anything. My TFA adviser, my mentor, and my boyfriend say that I shouldn't worry about it too much. I've made many of the changes already that were suggested (the letter is dated back to the incident two weeks ago, but was only printed out because yesterday was bad), but I'm meeting with my adviser to document these changes and make a formal schedule for improvement. Oy. It still hurts. A lot.

I can't let it bother me so much, though. As my adviser pointed out, I'm in it for the kids, and as long as I keep working hard for them and know they're making progress, I should feel good about myself.

At the very least, if this keeps happening, I'll be in great athletic shape. Right after school, I cranked out an awesome two miles at the park (after yesterday's easy mile). Now, I need to shower. Tonight is my first rehearsal with the University of Bridgeport choir! Back in show biz.

Good Day

Today was a good day. Yesterday's training was...okay. It wasn't great, but the day off from kids wasn't bad. I didn't have a sub, but other teachers covered the class during their preps. I feel terrible about that, but it is much less chaotic than having a sub.

I came back to school to find that a student I have difficulty with is suspended for 10 days. Something about carrying a knife on the bus! Her class was sparse today, because (I found out later) a couple of girls were skipping, but I had a great time with them. I got them started on SF and began showing them October Sky. When I stopped the movie to give some historical background (about the Cold War Space Race), we had a nice impromptu discussion about space flight and astrophysics. It was awesome. When I turned on the movie, the kids were so relaxed that I was able to watch a large chunk of the film. It turns out to be absolutely perfect for SF motivation, which I had read online, but didn't know for sure. It's about a bunch of poor kids in the late 50s who try to build a rocket to launch into space, in response to the launching of Sputnik. They work despite the mocking of their peers, and end up winning the regional science fair, receiving college scholarships. Their rocket was their only chance out of their poor mining town. I almost cried when their rocket succeeded. (Based on a true story.)

My homeroom class got a lesson on organelles: nucleus, mitochondria, cell membrane, and cytoplasm. The lesson went GREAT. I got through it and gave them a chance to practice on their own. My challenging student with the potty mouth was really good. He wasn't perfect, but he sat pretty quietly and participated! He answered questions enthusiastically. This class was also curious, and I answered some miscellaneous science questions. (Why do people have thighs? To store fat for times of stress.) Curious kids are my favorite.

Lunch duty was a breeze because half of the third-graders were on a field trip.

My last class was a continuation of SF that I had started with them on Monday. There was some enthusiasm shown. The principal stopped by for a visit, and I always feel insecure around her, like I'm not good enough. She asked why I had my students were watching October Sky, and I explained that it was motivation for SF, and described the plot. She looked at me suspiciously. I think it's a great film for them to watch, and they certainly need the motivation. I keep being told that spending time on investment is important, but I always feel a little guilty, like I'm cheating. Some of the kids have gotten really excited about it, though. That's always fun to watch.

My formal observation was rescheduled for this Friday, and I'm super nervous about it. I'm going to do the organelle lesson with my other 7th grade class, so I'm happy that I got to practice it today. I think it'll go well. It's not an exceptional lesson, but it does its job. I just realized that I never did the previous lesson with them, so I may have to do that. I guess I'll do that one instead.

Yesterday, I had my apartment maid-cleaned. It looks lovely. It's a lot of money, but it's worth it to have a clean bathroom and kitchen. Tonight, I accidentally scheduled a Peapod delivery during trivia, so I'll be stuck catching up on TV-watching. Oh darn.