Getting Ready

 

We continue to prepare. I had a really, really productive day and I feel good about it.

I made most of the posters for my room. I had a blast using the giant paper printer and the laminating machine some more (despite some...issues...with the laminating machine).

I also had some opportunities to practice some parts of the daily routine. I got a chance to run through some closing routines and learned how detention works. I will be watching detention on Tuesdays, the homework center on Mondays, and the dismissal on Fridays. Wednesday mornings, I greet students at the sidewalk. It's so nice (and a big change!) to know what is expected from me for all these routine details. I know what to do, when to do it, and what to say. It's awesome, and so exciting.

I got to meet a few kids today! A couple of teachers invited students in to school so they could make instructional videos for class (e.g. How to Do an Experiment, How to Have a Discussion), and I got to meet the cream of Vailsburg Middle School. It was exciting and they're pretty adorable, but learning names is going to be quite a task. And, when they were done with the videos, they helped us with mindless tasks. No more labeling for me!

Something I'm really excited about is the culture of learning amongst the teachers. We are expected to watch other classes frequently to learn expert teaching methods. We are often observed by other teachers. This is in addition to regular meetings to discuss and refine weekly agendas and daily lesson plans. I was a little thrown off by having to practice some scenarios while a couple of students were in the room doing chores, but everyone was okay with it. There is a lot of support and enthusiasm towards learning, practice, and perfection, and I guess it is the same with teachers. Cool.

I also met with the special ed teachers to discuss their role and to get some information about a few kids. The sped teachers are really good at what they do. They really know how these kids work, so they could tell us exactly what to do in the classroom so that they get the most out of class. It was an informative talk, and has made me that much more excited to meet the kids on Monday.

My day will be, roughly, 7AM to 5PM. On Wednesdays, I'll have to get in earlier so I'm prepped and ready to greet by 7, and on Mondays, Tuesday and Fridays I'll probably be finishing up around 5:15, plus any additional work time. That's 50 hours of work guaranteed, plus an extra few. I'll pick about one night a week to stay until 7 to catch up. I'll have time during the school day to do work, as well, which is yet to be determined specifically. The way my schedule works, though, I might have a nice solid chunk of a couple of hours a few mornings a week.

Despite this business, I need to get back into running. I took a week off for illness and other, but I'm going to go running tomorrow. Hopefully, the weakness and fatigue will have disappeared and I can get right back into my 10+ mpw. We'll see how it goes.

In other news, I made sourdough again last weekend. The crust was perfect, but the crumb was a little too dense. I think I let it rest too long and it rose too much before I put it in the oven, and then sunk a little. Next time, I'll only let it rest for 2-3 hours, instead of 4-6. I've been doing a lot of cooking and eating, with my boyfriend. This week has included spaghetti and turkey meatballs, flounder baked in parchment in a honey-soy sauce, and Asian shrimp and spinach noodles. Many dinners were eaten on our balcony, in that perfect August evening weather. I could get used to this.