First Friday

After numerous attempts at posting during my first week of the school year, I finally feel somewhat prepared and motivated to begin this story. In lieu of going to the gym to work out as I had planned, I rushed home and ate two small containers of ice cream - if that offers any sort of inference as to how I feel at the end of week one.

Fatigue and exhaustion would be two words I may use to describe myself at the present time. Often people make remarks about teachers and their frequent and significant vacations. For those who have not taught, I implore you to try and take a walk in a teacher's shoes. Most won't, which leaves such comments empty and unsubstantiated. Coming back to a classroom full of middle schoolers is quite a drastic change from having the summer off, I must admit, but upon my return, I am reminded of why summer vacation exists, and how truly necessary it is.

I'll start by giving a quick run down of my schedule and a synopsis of each of the sections for which I am responsible. Over the summer, a scheduling team of teachers worked many hours making sense of seemingly senseless mandates regarding time on learning in the difference subject areas. Being a history teacher, my subject comes near the bottom of the totem pole, right near French and and physical education. Because of our wonderful state assessments, certain subjects are deemed more important than others, and until there is a social studies exam, students will continue to see me half as often as they see their English or science teachers. As is, my schedule involves teaching either two or three 90 minute classes each day, along with a few other duties. I see my students either Monday-Tuesday or Thursday-Friday, with Wednesday as a swing day that alternates week by week. My course load includes three 8th grade US History sections (one featuring all of my SPED students and one featuring all of my ELL students) and two 7th grade Ancient Civilizations sections. As my students begin to wrap their 12, 13, 14, and 15 year old minds around their schedules, I also acclimate myself to my own schedule.

The first class I see each week was my biggest challenge last year. About 2/3 of the students in the class have some sort of Learning Disability (LD) and are on Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) with accommodations to be catered to. As is the case in many urban settings, as far as I've been told, many students who have behavioral issues are placed into Special Education due to a lack of options and any sound structure (in the family or in the system) to help these children be successful. This class is the effectual dumping ground for both the students who need the most help academically and the students who many teachers have no desire to work with. Aside from a few key players, this class has actually been fairly decent amidst the changes in the school with regard to adminstration and discipline structure (i.e. when you call the office, someone comes to help you - which was not the case last year).

My second class is considered by most teachers in the school to be some of the highest achieving individuals currently at our school. They seem overall to be self motivated, well-behaved, and thrilled to be in a school where they no longer need to be afraid for their safety, or worry about constant interruptions due to wandering students and violence.

My other 7th grade group has been my biggest challenge in week one. This is the 7th grade team with the SPED inclusion students. I had hoped to have a look at the students' IEPs this weekend, but I just realized I left them in school. Hopefully once I am able to look over these documents I will have a better idea of how to adapt my lessons to my students' needs. I was very strict with them last period today because they were antsy and we weren't getting through the work I had hoped to - putting us a day behind my other section. I need to structure this class better to help my students and my sanity.

My other two 8th grade groups are students I have built a good rapport with in the past. Their skill levels vary, but their behavior overall has been much better than last year. I think that summer has given them time to mature a bit and mellow. One thing I need to work with them on is their homophobic slurs. The wearing and other behaviors have seemed to wane a bit, but the "gay" and stronger words seem to stay. I am thinking about having a panel from a local college GLBTQ group and/or a local high school GSA come and talk to the kids about tolerance. It is so frustrating to hear these kids reproducing the same jargon that I always heard as a child. I wish the cycle of hatred could be stopped, and it is my hope that I can do my part with the students with whom I work.

This time of the year is what educators affectionately deem as the "honeymoon" period. Only time will tell how the new changes we have implemented have truly changed the school climate and culture. I am hopeful and look forward to a year where I can become a better teach and a year where I can help my students catch up on the time they've lost due to attending school in such a disruptive and unstructured environment.