I’m sorry for not posting often. This year has possibly been my best, but also my most difficult, year of teaching to date. I expected it to be easier, more like last year, but I haven’t really put a lot of things into consideration.

 Things that are overall better this year:

1. School spirit is awesome- everyone’s excited to be at a new school.

2. Administration spirit: My principal this year is probably the best principal I’ve ever had the opportunity to have, and that includes in my own secondary education experience.

3. Staff that I am working with overall are awesome. Almost all the teachers actually want to be there and try to have a positive attitude despite the issues that come up in teaching. It’s a positive environment.

4. The kids are the sweetest bunch I’ve had to date. I have been able to find something I like about every single student I have this year, and I haven’t even had to try too hard. 🙂 (Those of you who are teachers can probably get the significance of that statement!) They are a fun, bright bunch of kiddos.

I am trying to look more and more on the positive side of the school to balance out the negative. So with that said:

Things that are more difficult

1. Supplies aren’t on campus- There’s just not the stuff on campus that there was on my previous campus; technology software and hardware, books, testing supplies… things that we just don’t get to have, or things that are supposed to arrive but haven’t

2. Other LA people haven’t ever taught at their grade level before- I’m pretty much the only one. Meaning that I am helping others out a lot more and getting them the supplies they need. It’s getting a lot better, but I am missing the people I worked with before- we shared a lot more equally and had a system figured out.

3. Many different responsibilities. And I like most of them, but now that I’m into the year, it’s starting to wear on me. I attend several meetings a week (“team 7” meetings twice a week, AVID every other week, Mentor once a week, CLT every other week or so) and am the Student Council sponsor.

4. The system the LA facilitators are still pushing onto middle school LA teachers stinks. This is my third year of letting students do assignments late, to the last minute, and redos over and over. It’s just not true to life. There are times when you have the opportunities to redo, like cooking or learning an instrument. But there are times when you have deadlines, have to do it right the first time, or else you just miss out. We’re teaching the kids bad habits at an early age, and I hate it.

So, that’s where I’m at right now. A balance of good and bad, but that’s life. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be here at this school, and it’s just another affirmation to me that I’m where I should be for now and that I can take the bad and grow from it.

I’m also just plain grateful for a 9 day break from school all together. 🙂