Good Week

I've been having an exceptionally good week. I've been doing the little things, like eating and sleeping better, but I think it has more to do with how I've been running my classroom. I've been focusing less on management (I don't want to say I've got it down, but it's definitely becoming more instinctive) and more on building relationships with students. I've had some lunches with kids, and I'm being more forgiving here and there. I've been keeping my sense of humor more. And at the end of the day, I am really enjoying my job. It is becoming a lot more fun.

It's still hard, but I'm better at taking a disastrous class and turning it productive, or taking a good class and pushing it further. The weeks are still long and slow, but I feel more energetic at the end. (At least, in retrospect. By about Tuesday, I'm usually ready to be done with the week.)

My planning for this past 2-week cycle was really solid, and that made my classes better. The students understand that they are expected to be working for an entire 40-minute period, so there is less misbehavior and more compliance. In fact, today in my homeroom class, I had two girls on task for the first time in as long as I can remember. It was glorious. (Really, who doesn't love the circulatory system?)

In planning for the next two weeks, I planned a lesson on metals vs. nonmentals (in my Periodic Table unit), and in the process, figured out how to take some flashlights and wires lying around and make homemade conductivity testers. I also bought a Periodic Table t-shirt, because really, what real science teacher is without one?

I squeezed in a 2-miler this evening, but I'm getting a little anxious about the duathlon this weekend. The weather is supposed to be cool (52) and rainy, so I'm hoping that there is a likelier chance I will win a trophy by default. And, biking and running in the mud can't hurt either. I just got a new pair of tri shorts (a size smaller from last year!), but I might have to throw on a pair of sweats over it, so I don't freeze. I hope to dress warmly and embrace the mud. Actually, I can't wait.