Oh September, I Thought You'd Never Come!

I'm just emerging from my school daze - the zombie-like trance that I'm thrown into for the first two weeks of school until things calm down a bit and I can organize my thoughts (or have thoughts again). I've always  been a pretty slow adapter. It takes me a few weeks to figure out what I'm doing, how my new schedule is going to look and where I'm going to squeeze in time to recharge my batteries. And now that I'm on the other side of the school daze I can update you, my good friends and family around the world, as to the goings-on in my life.


I am teaching five Algebra 2 classes this year. Yep, that's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 times I get to teach the same lesson, answer the same questions, grade the same papers and give the same tests! Sure, doing the same thing five times every day can get old fast, but there are some benefits to teaching only one class. I get plenty of time to refine my super mad teaching skillz until my 6th hour (last class of the day) gets such an awesomely perfected lesson that they don't know how much awesomeness is hitting them until BAM! there it is! I also get to come up with fun activities to make Algebra 2 into the best class EVER.


I'm also a traveling teacher this year. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, let me explain: Moore High School is such a great place to work that teachers just don't seem to want to leave. They stick around forever and ever and ever... which is awesome, but it doesn't free up any rooms for us new teachers. Last year, two math teachers didn't have their own rooms so they traveled from room to room, occupying various spaces during other teachers' planning periods. One math teacher with a room left last year (the one whose job I got), so only one of those traveling teachers from last year got her own room this year. And I entered the purgatory that is traveling teacher status. Obviously the other teacher, who is on his second year of traveling, will get a room before me, but if I can get two teachers to leave at the end of the year, then I'll get a room too! The only problem with that is that I like all of the math teachers and don't want any of them to leave! Hmmm... 


Anyway, I teach my first and second classes on the second floor, in the 700 building. My third hour class is in a portable classroom, which means that I get to haul all my class supplies and a classroom set of 30 graphing calculators (heavy heavy!) out to the portable. It's been God's good grace that it hasn't been raining during my transition time yet, but I know it's coming. Yikes. Not looking forward to that, but we'll make it work. 5th and 6th hour are in the same room back in the 700 building. The good thing about being a traveling teacher is that it forces you to be organized. Before you set out for the day you have to know all the materials you're going to need for the rest of the day, as well as how you're going to store/carry them. So far I've been successful at staying relatively organized. We'll see how long it lasts. I know myself too well :)


Teaching in a new school changes a lot. I'm teaching shorter classes more frequently to a different demographic than I did at my last school. There are positive and negative aspects to each school (as there are when comparing any old and new situation), and I'm learning to embrace the positive and not focus on the negative. 

So what's my prevailing thought as I sit here blogging about being on the other side of the school daze? Man, I'd kill for a cupcake. Deep, huh? Let that one sink in... :) Hope you're enjoying the beautiful weather!


Corrie




Yep... I'm a lion now. Born a panther, temporarily a golden eagle, morphed into a tiger now a lion. Rawr