...I'm Free At Last!
Last Friday (a week ago) was my last day in that classroom. I resigned, and have already started looking for a sub job.
Why?
Mostly knee problems, which weren't going to be resolved while simultaneously driving 2 hours a day to and from work. Also, my husband is planning a move back to OH. We'll have to get the house ready to sell, clear out a WHOLE lot of paper and junk, and that just isn't going to be done while also teaching full-time.
I chose to resign, rather than take multiple (and mostly non-consecutive) days off. The kids I taught were mostly 9th grade, who didn't handle changes in routine well. I felt the responsible thing to do was to make a clean break.
But, it does mean some loss of income. However, my health is worth it to me.
Some good things have come out of this decision:
…that is the question. According to FoxNews, 4 states are currently considering retaining 3rd graders who have not learned to read. The argument for: That students who aren’t identified early slip through the cracks, and end up being the illiterate high-schoolers.
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...that is the question.
According to FoxNews, 4 states are currently considering retaining 3rd graders who have not learned to read. The argument for:
That students who aren't identified early slip through the cracks, and end up being the illiterate high-schoolers.
The argument against:
That the retained students do no better than those allowed to move on.
What the Against side doesn't mention is whether the classes without the retainee can move ahead at a faster pace.
I feel for the kids that haven't learned, and their parents. I have a daughter who does Special Ed, and she is eloquent about the need to provide appropriate education for ALL children.
My main concern, however, is
http://seenmagazine.us/articles/article-detail/articleid/1805/will-teachers-go-extinct.aspx
I've been teaching over a long time period - from 1988 to today. During that time, the employment prospects, until fairly recently (last 5 years) were pretty good.
Not so today.
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…I can’t log in right now. So, I’ll be posting here.
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Whew!
I'd forgotten how high energy teens can be.
Due to our having moved the exams to before break (at first, I was unsure how it would work out, but now I think it was an inspired decision), we have 4 days before 2nd semester starts.
So, I decided to have the kids do a project - they have to design a day's food plan for someone with diet restrictions.
It took a lot of monitoring, but most were able to turn in something that was worth the time they spent today. Each day, they have to report on their progress, and I'll keep on top of their work. I spent some time this weekend making sure that I had provided enough daily feedback, and I think I succeeded.
I'm fast approaching the end of my teaching career. I've been teaching since the late 80's, with brief detours into other jobs (corporate training, sales, network administration and database management).
Mostly, I've liked the work. My only reservations have been the constraints of fitting what I want to do into the "mission" of the schools I've been in. I get tired of management getting into the whiz-bang "flavor of the month". Their acceptance of that new direction, as I see it, has been guided by $$$$$$$$ - in the form of grants.
I lived through 3 different schools incorporating the Small Schools paradigm. Most of the trouble with a model like that is that the schools shoehorn kids into the program - they don't have the option of NOT being in a thematic program. So, sometimes, the fit is awkward.
Right now, the push is for IB - a program that has some positive aspects, but also
Got the verdict this week - I don't have to re-do the Long-Range Plan, but I do have to go through another round of observations and a Unit Work Sample (ugh!).
It's really my own fault. I let loose with a cutting remark to a student
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I'm 60. I'll be 61 in March. This last year made it clear that even though I still enjoy the work, I won't be physically capable of teaching forever.
This year, I had a hectic first quarter - lots of kids with IEPs, ESOL, or other issues that required MANY meetings, MUCH paperwork, and a lot of changes that I had to bring into the classroom. For months, I felt as though
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is what my personal report card would headline.
And, it's true - my LEAST favorite activities include group activities of any kind, particularly:
- Sharing activities - I don't want to know others' personal feelings. That's why we humans have the ability to keep things to ourselves - so we won't burden the rest of the world with all our kvetching complaints.
- Small-group work - invariably, it's conducted in a noisy room, which makes it tough for all of us with hearing issues. Second, I hate having my best ideas put to group consensus. I wouldn't mind if the end result looked strictly at the top 3 ideas, then put them to a group vote. Instead, I find that the "besties" gang up on the rest of us (you know who you are, sorority girls!), and push the ideas of their friends.
- I hate the enforced "play nice" attitude. I like a good give-and-take, and am not offended when people argue passionately for their side. But, too often, we have to make "nicey-nice", and pretend that someone's vomit-worthy idea is "a GREAT idea!!!!"
I haven't changed since childhood. I'm still the kid who hid in one of the unused centers, happily reading a book while the rest of the kindergarten interacted. In all our push to treasure the differences in each person, why can't my misanthropy be OK?