I am sitting here, trying to plan for tomorrow, and there is a massive thunderstorm outside that makes it impossible to concentrate on anything. I may be 22, but I hate thunderstorms. I didn’t realize this until I moved to Louisiana, in Maine they cooled down the temperature, so were welcome. In DC they were a nuisance and occasionally made me nervous. In Louisiana, I think the building is going to come down around me at any moment. It doesn’t help that parking lots and roads flood so quickly around here that you have to be careful where you park your car in a storm – so every time I hear thunder I run outside to see if folks are moving their cars. Inside I get all jumpy when there is a big clap of thunder or flash of lightening – maybe this is the downside of living alone. I need a dog!
Aside from the scary Louisiana weather, things are going relatively well. I still do nothing but work and have been sick the past few days, but no major issues yet. I keep telling myself the workload will subside (which I think it will eventually), but it can’t happen soon enough! I have a lot to look forward to right now though – a visit from Anthony in a few weeks, and a weekend in Florida with Toby and Lori a few weeks after that. That’s what will get me through right now! It also doesn’t help that reading and watching all of the coverage of Sen. Kennedy’s death not only made me sad, but also made me really homesick for DC! I want to go back and visit, but at the same time I know that will make coming back to New Orleans even harder.
My kids are pretty good so far; they had their first quiz on Friday. I graded them this weekend, and they could have gone a lot better. It was a hard quiz, no doubt about that, but stuff that they knew in class the day before they messed up. Maybe they’ll learn that taking notes and then looking at them outside of class will help them…maybe. In the meantime it’s a fight to get them to take notes, or do practice problems, it’s like they think I can say it all and show them a few and they’ll know it. The one doing is the one learning – I need to instill this.
This week we’re learning about exponents and their rules and properties – a lot of notes in the beginning unfortunately, but I need to get all the material in before Thursday. All the Algebra I teachers have professional development on Thursday, so they’ll have a substitute. I’m a little scared about that – I worry about how they’ll behave and if they will actually do the work I leave for them. They will have way more than 90 minutes’ worth, and they’ll know it’s being graded, so hopefully that will keep them (mostly) on task. Interestingly enough, my third period class is the one I have the most trouble with (they are a headache and a half) got the best grades on the quiz. Not sure how to explain that.
I have three boys in my second period class who are trouble (not mean or I-can’t-stand-them-trouble like a few others, but need some attention and help trouble). One, A, is a sweet kid and is Sped, but his files are nowhere to be found, so we don’t know what his needs are. His biggest problem is staying in his seat and staying quiet, also his math skills are extremely far behind grade level. I have to prod him to keep trying the work, and re-explaining things each day, but he wants to learn, we just need to find a way to keep him focused and not discouraged.
L talks constantly in my class, but does his work, and came in voluntarily during lunch on Friday to do his make-up work with me. Another TFA teacher has him for English, and he doesn’t talk to anyone in there or do any work. We’re working on that mystery. He has afternoon detention with me on Monday, perhaps I’ll get something out of him! He’s a sweet kid too, but kind of scrawny and funny looking, and I think he compensates by saying inappropriate things to get the class going (he explained on the second day how strippers used math in their careers – I just went with it an pointed out that anyone who works for tips should be good at math. That seemed to keep the situation as diffused as possible).
And C, who no one wanted in their class because when he showed up from alternative school last year (after being let out of juvenile detention apparently) he terrorized the school and started fights in class on the first day, was in my second period class also. I had to keep an eye on him, but I held him to the same standard as everyone else and found the best way of keeping him in line was to ask for his help, quietly, and tell him that the rest of the class followed his lead. When he was on task, everyone else was too – so I wanted his help. It generally worked, he did his work for me and was pretty good about staying quiet and respectful. Another teacher kicked him out of class and sent him to my room to cool off, which worked marginally well. But now his schedule was changed and he’s not in my class anymore. His new Algebra I teacher (who is awesome and a huge help to me) was all too eager to give him back to me when I told her he really wasn’t that bad, just treat him like an equal. I actually wish I still had him in class, he has the potential to be such a good kid and a great student!
Anyway, that’s enough rambling about my kids, I have a story about each one of them it seems! More next time!
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