I am trying to focus on my excitement about starting a career in education and remain focused, positive and dedicated. Did you notice the word "trying" in there? Yeah... it's getting a little difficult and I'm struggling a bit with keeping to myself any criticisms or negative comments about my first few weeks at Tech School.
Here's the big glitch that's making me crazy: there is very little organization to this process.
Day one I came in and had a little chat with Program Director who mentioned some vague information, gave me a textbook and sent me off to an unused classroom to read over the materials sent to him by someone who teaches a similar class at another campus. I started in on reading suggestions on how to write lesson plans, organize material and teach in a way that covers the different ways that people learn.
Over the next few days I read the textbook and quickly discerned that while some chapters will be excellent for achieving the objectives of the class, others seem misplaced in the book. I highlighted and made notes. I wrote down ideas for assignments and discussions. I believed that I was teaching the same class to two different groups of students: a tech group and a medical group.
Yesterday I went into Program Director's office to ask about the medical group-- what will they be learning in their major classes here? I want to be able to tie in my class to their career path as a way of reinforcing the importance of what I'll be teaching them. It was only then that I learned that I'll actually be teaching the medical group computer applications: Windows and Office.
I knew that I could and would at some point be teaching those things but not from the start. So I was given a second text book and set of materials to read. Luckily, this course has been taught at Tech School for a long time so the lesson plans and assignments and all other materials are in place, all I have to do is follow them. Still, it might have been nice to know from the start.
And it's not just that issue that leads me to believe that much of this job is going to be me flying by the seat of my pants! I've been trying to work on my lesson plans since I was told that these are very important and need to be filed with the administration because the school will be undergoing an accreditation renewal in the spring. I wasn't sure how to format them. I didn't like the way my counterpart at the other campus wrote them and I don't think that the way he's structured his class suits me so I was starting from scratch. Well, maybe not 'scratch' but close to scratch. A little past scratch.
Yesterday, right before I left for the day, another teacher came in and asked, "Did Program Director talk to you about meeting with me so I can show you stuff?"
(That is a direct quote!)
In my mind, I was thinking, um, I don't think so, no, maybe, did he? What stuff are you talking about? I tried to be as evasive as I could, drawing her out, trying to figure out what the heck she was talking about. I'm still not technically sure.
Another issue is that she teaches in the afternoon and evening and I'm a day time instructor. So now on Monday, I can't commute as usual, carpooling, I'll have to have a separate car because she flat out refused to come in any earlier and with my child care issues, I can't really stay very late.
If this is about showing me assignment documents and not some actual instruction, I will be very ticked off. Just point me in the direction of the folder on the network and I'd be fine. I've pretty much forged this road alone already.
Today, in cleaning out the storage locker in the classroom I've been using, I found a lesson plan template with the school's logo on it. Hello? Could no one have told me that this exists somewhere?
I feel like there should be some kind of guide for new hires, new teachers, that not only outlines the policies of the school for students and teachers, but also provides these templates and forms. Still, I want to focus on the positives.
I love the freedom of this job already. I love that there isn't someone sitting behind me pulling puppet strings. I love the topics I will get to teach and I'm eager and excited to meet my students and try to make them excited too.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Another Eventful Day
Last night, my younger son's babysitter dumped him so we scrambled to find someone else to watch him until he can join his brother at preschool. I was not a happy camper.
This morning, while dropping him off at the new sitter's house, I misjudged her narrow driveway which slopes downhill and curves a bit at the end. It's also fairly snowy and icy outside. I veered off the asphalt into the mud and backed into her mailbox, knocking it over.
My passenger got out of the car and went to look at the wheel that was now firmly stuck in mud. For some reason, I hit the gas thinking I could get out of the hole. Instead I sent a spray of mud into the air, all over the car and all over the poor, defenseless man standing next to the car trying to help.
Ooops.
This morning, while dropping him off at the new sitter's house, I misjudged her narrow driveway which slopes downhill and curves a bit at the end. It's also fairly snowy and icy outside. I veered off the asphalt into the mud and backed into her mailbox, knocking it over.
My passenger got out of the car and went to look at the wheel that was now firmly stuck in mud. For some reason, I hit the gas thinking I could get out of the hole. Instead I sent a spray of mud into the air, all over the car and all over the poor, defenseless man standing next to the car trying to help.
Ooops.
Monday, January 12, 2009
The First Day
Starting a new job is always stressful. I accept that. I know it.
My first day at Tech School was also the first day of preschool for my older son and the first day away from the family for my younger son. I wasn't sure how it was going to work out, rousing the boys from their warm and cozy beds before the sun had risen, getting them dressed and ready while I also did the same for myself.
I am happy to report that Operation Leaving Home was a success. Both of the boys were excited to go "to school."
I was able to successfully change from frumpy mom to polished professional with only ten tons of makeup, a curling iron and clothes I haven't worn in five years! I endured the cold, confronted the long commute to Tech School and stepped tentatively through the doors into the vestibule, which was undergoing major renovation.
It was not quite what I had envisioned. In my mind, I'd walk into the reception area and hear fanfare. Students in plaid uniforms would trumpet my arrival. A banner would unfurl with the words "Welcome Newbie Teacher" scrawled across it. Someone would instantly hand me a shiny, red apple and a textbook and off I'd go.
Instead, it was torn up flooring, massive clouds of dust and newly spackled but unsanded walls. It seemed like few people were aware that I was starting. My new boss, Program Director, took me on a tour of the school and gave me the textbook I'd be using and a pile of papers. I had to do all the "new job paperwork" including all those government documents that I'm sure I screw up every time I have to fill them out.
Add a 1 on the line if you work less than 25 hours a week or you have a spouse with thinning hair unless he or she is also albino and works in a lab. In that case subtract 432.5 from 912, add 15 or the number of children you have who aren't potty trained, divide by 12, subtract 97 and add the number of times a month you grocery shop, then enter that number on line H and box 42b of form 912-A.
Huh?
Program Director gave me the class syllabus from the other campus, listing my course goals and objectives. He gave me some sample assignments and these things called "rubrics" to help me determine how to grade my students' work. He told me I had to observe the other teachers to get a handle on classroom management
I started reading and highlighting the textbook. I read through the materials he emailed me and started making notes on possible assignments and lesson plans. I had a great first day.
Well, until we went to pick up my younger son.
My first day at Tech School was also the first day of preschool for my older son and the first day away from the family for my younger son. I wasn't sure how it was going to work out, rousing the boys from their warm and cozy beds before the sun had risen, getting them dressed and ready while I also did the same for myself.
I am happy to report that Operation Leaving Home was a success. Both of the boys were excited to go "to school."
I was able to successfully change from frumpy mom to polished professional with only ten tons of makeup, a curling iron and clothes I haven't worn in five years! I endured the cold, confronted the long commute to Tech School and stepped tentatively through the doors into the vestibule, which was undergoing major renovation.
It was not quite what I had envisioned. In my mind, I'd walk into the reception area and hear fanfare. Students in plaid uniforms would trumpet my arrival. A banner would unfurl with the words "Welcome Newbie Teacher" scrawled across it. Someone would instantly hand me a shiny, red apple and a textbook and off I'd go.
Instead, it was torn up flooring, massive clouds of dust and newly spackled but unsanded walls. It seemed like few people were aware that I was starting. My new boss, Program Director, took me on a tour of the school and gave me the textbook I'd be using and a pile of papers. I had to do all the "new job paperwork" including all those government documents that I'm sure I screw up every time I have to fill them out.
Add a 1 on the line if you work less than 25 hours a week or you have a spouse with thinning hair unless he or she is also albino and works in a lab. In that case subtract 432.5 from 912, add 15 or the number of children you have who aren't potty trained, divide by 12, subtract 97 and add the number of times a month you grocery shop, then enter that number on line H and box 42b of form 912-A.
Huh?
Program Director gave me the class syllabus from the other campus, listing my course goals and objectives. He gave me some sample assignments and these things called "rubrics" to help me determine how to grade my students' work. He told me I had to observe the other teachers to get a handle on classroom management
I started reading and highlighting the textbook. I read through the materials he emailed me and started making notes on possible assignments and lesson plans. I had a great first day.
Well, until we went to pick up my younger son.
Monday, January 5, 2009
The Wait is Over!
HR Chick called me this morning to offer me the teaching position I've been holding my breath over. Still no concrete details about classes, hours, benefits or anything else really.
I'm lucky that I have an "in" with the school because the amount of pay she offered was lower than the amount they were paying another adjunct instructor who is a friend of mine. I had to negotiate my way up to the same starting salary they my buddy. Had HR Chick not been willing to do that, I couldn't have accepted the position because I would have been working to pay for daycare and that's just silly.
I start Monday.
So now I am running around like a crazy person trying to nail down reasonably priced daycare in a non-icky facility. The place I really like cannot my younger son for a month. There's another, sort of local but pretty far out of the way daycare that we visited that I liked, for the most part. The large room where all the kids were held was broken up into smaller areas with sections of picket fencing, giving me the uncomfortable feeling that the children were treated like so many sheep.
So the dilemma is this: weird sheep pen day care if we can't find a sitter for the younger child for a month.
I'm a teacher, I'm a teacher.
Holy crap! What am I getting myself into?
I'm lucky that I have an "in" with the school because the amount of pay she offered was lower than the amount they were paying another adjunct instructor who is a friend of mine. I had to negotiate my way up to the same starting salary they my buddy. Had HR Chick not been willing to do that, I couldn't have accepted the position because I would have been working to pay for daycare and that's just silly.
I start Monday.
So now I am running around like a crazy person trying to nail down reasonably priced daycare in a non-icky facility. The place I really like cannot my younger son for a month. There's another, sort of local but pretty far out of the way daycare that we visited that I liked, for the most part. The large room where all the kids were held was broken up into smaller areas with sections of picket fencing, giving me the uncomfortable feeling that the children were treated like so many sheep.
So the dilemma is this: weird sheep pen day care if we can't find a sitter for the younger child for a month.
I'm a teacher, I'm a teacher.
Holy crap! What am I getting myself into?
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