Tonight...

I'm kind of feeling under the weather; there are three weeks left in the semester, and I am kind of feeling the pressure.

Fourth block is still the most challenging I have; today, we actually had to stop class, and restore order because of the same three students. Now, granted, they are seniors, I am fighting a whole lot of inertia with this class, some of which is of my own creation through a perfect storm mix of inexperience, less than prime teaching time and unrealistic expectations. However, I still, even this late in the semester, I am still hoping, as irrational as that might be that I will get through to them.

The funny thing is, individually, they will each work for me. It is the collective of them that is at issue. I've tried separating them; they simply yell across the room. I've written referrals; they are in ISS for a day, and are back to their antics the next day. Don't get me wrong; they've learned with me as well; I'm just sure they could have gotten so much more separately than they did together.

Maybe it is time to get to the end of the semester and hope that I've given them something that will stick with them and be of value. Anyway, it is time for the evening routine, and then some shut-eye.

G'night Folks!
The Beginning Teacher

First postings

First, mea culpa. I've been teaching for a few months now. It is the end of the Thanksgiving break, and I figured it was about time.

Yes, I've been teaching for a little while.Three months to be exact. From what I understand, this is the hardest part of the year for the first-year teacher. The year starts out with anticipation, moves through disillusionment, then gradually improves, into anticipation again.

While this is indeed true to my experience, at the moment, I am not entirely sure if this is the disillusionment talking, but well, I am calling bullfunky. I am almost finished with my first semester teaching, and this has been nothing like I expected. It is past disillusionment; it is an outright destruction of naivete. I have just finished teaching Lord of the Flies; I've students who actually identify and root for Jack. I taught Macbeth; they thought Malcolm was whiny and MacDuff a coward.

Then again, with reflection comes clarity. I have also seem my students figure out the research process, write incredible short fiction, and I am shortly going to set them to writing some non-fiction and see what they can do.

Thus far, teaching has been the most frustrating, infuriating, depressing, exhausting, exhilarating, rewarding, enigmatic experience I've had to date. Only my marriage to my bride, and the births of my children are higher on the scale.

I am exhausted and heading for bed now. The plan for this blog is that I will likely put in two or three entries a week for the remainder of the year as time allows for it - hold down the snickers in the back from the more experienced teachers, I know time doesn't allow for much - and generally share the experience. By writing through it in this medium, where it is possible that I might even find some useful feedback, I am hoping to manage some useful reflection, and leave it for someone else to benefit from if it should.

Anyway, good night for now from The Beginning Teacher!