Ramblings of a Non-Working Employed American


Hmmm...Where to begin? It has been quite a while since my last post. A lot has gone on since September. Friends have been married (congrats Justin and Corrie), had babies (Maw and Paw Swayze), broken up, new friendships have been created. And, as it seems that life is moving forward, I still feel as if I am standing still. There is so much that I want to do, but I can't seem to either make a decision or locate the funds to assist in the decisions. In my efforts to choose a path for my life, I will fill you in on my roads diverged.

My first path of contemplation is a road fraut with journal article reviews, long lectures, and the pretensious world of academia. I have been thinking about going back to school to get my masters. I think that this stems more from the fact that I miss college life and less from the fact that I want to pursue an advanced degree. I've been looking into the University of Colorado in Boulder. They have a masters program that is very similar to my alma mater, but besides that, they are within a 2 hour drive from my favorite ski resort. I would like to try life in a place other than the hospitality state. I would have to live in CO for a year before I could apply for in-state tuition. Thankfully, every state is in need of teachers. One thing that is holding me back from headed to the Rockies is the fact that I would have to take out loans to go back to school. Yeah, I know, most districts will pay for you to get your degree, but I am not sure that I can fully give to both school and teaching. I would like to be able to focus all of my attention on one thing rather than trying to balance school and work. Also, I have enjoyed teaching, but I have become so disenchanted with the politics involved. I can't understand why the profession that creates all other professions is not supported by the same standards as comparable professions.

Assuming I do want to continue teaching, I have uncovered two great opportunities. One is the chance to teach in a school that is not affected by No Child Left Behind, overbearing parents, or silly state tests. A colleague of mine has been working in an independent school in Madison. This school is overseen by a board of trustees. The board develops a mission, and it is the duty of the students and teachers to move toward achieving their mission. If a student is not with in the boundaries of the ideals of the school, then they are asked to discontinue their attendance. My colleague speaks of students that are eager to learn, treat the faculty with utmost respect, and administrators that support the faculty. I was not aware that that actually took place. I thought maybe one out of three, but all three seemed to be quite the pipe dream. I have heard that there are several science positions opening up, and my name was given as someone to contact for an interview. I have not heard from the school, but if I do, I will definitely interview!

Opportunity number two is the possibility of teaching in an American school over seas. I uncovered the idea this summer while trying to find ways to get paid to travel. More recently, I spoke with representatives of the company at the National Middle School Association National Conference in Nashville, TN. The more I spoke with the rep., the more convinced she seemed that I was perfect for their program. The company acts as a head hunter for various schools from all around the world. They set up job fairs which are attendable by invitation only. Jobs are offered on the spot, and the school pays for the airfare/relocation costs of the moving teacher. Sounds phenomenal, right?! I thought so. The one thing that is holding me back from jumping all over this opportunity is that they require a two year commitment. One year, no problem, but two years seems intimidating. What if I get to my locale and totally hate it. I'm stuck there for at least two years. On the flip side, if the school loves me, and I love the school, they will ask me to extend my term on a year-by-year basis. What a way to see the world.

As you can see, breaks during the school year allow for a lot of thinking time (which can be quite dangerous). I know that ultimately I am going to be the one who has to make the decision, but I would greatly appreciate any bits of advice. Sorry, again, for not posting in so long. I will try to post more often so each one won't be so lengthy.

Fall is Falling and School is Schooling


I have successfully made it through the first two weeks of school. I have been blessed with some pretty good students. I hope they continue to be well behaved. This batch seems a bit small, though (in numbers and in physical size). I only have 103 students this year as compared to 125. Many of the students resemble 5th graders; although, I do have some that tower over the rest. They seem to be pretty smart, too. As a pre-test, I gave them my comprehensive 4th nine weeks test on the fourth day of school. On average, the classes got about 33% of the questions correct which means, these students already know close to a third of what I am supposed to teach them. I am really excited about that because now I know what I need to spend a lot of time on and what I can skim over. I am really grateful for the GK-8 fellowship's hard work in metric last year. The fellowship did an ongoing project with my current 7th graders that beat metric units into their heads. I was totally take by surprise when each class was able to distinguish between mass and volume. I know it sounds silly, but that was something that really hard for last year's class to comprehend.

I have decided that I want my students to write lab reports. I have looked all over trying to find exactly what I want my 7th graders to include in their reports. I think it will be a challenge for them, but I have prepared several things to help get them on their way. First, I created a handout that shows them exactly what each section should have in it and how it should be formatted. Second, I have prepared a rubric so they will know exactly what is required to make and A, B, C... Third, we are going to do a mini-lab turning cream into butter. After we finish, we will write a superior lab report together. This will serve as a perfect example of what I am looking for. Wish me luck, because they already seem apprehensive about the task at hand.

I've got to mention this. Thursday night was meet the teacher night. Parents came to school and ran their students' schedules. Each period lasted 8 minutes, and the parents had 2 minutes to change classes. I prepared a PowerPoint that showed the parents some of the things we did last year which included an energy commercial created by some of last years students. I got more complements on my enthusiasm and preparedness that night. It really helps me to believe that I am doing a good job. I hope that the parents remember some of the things I said when they see the caliber work we do this year. I hold their students to a high standard, so I am glad they were able to get a glimpse of what's to come.

Stupid Marketing!


Why is it that it's O.K. for corporations to market a product that is so misleading. I am vacationing at the moment in McAllan, TX visiting family. Today, I decided to go to Best Buy and purchase some new C.D.s. I have developed a new taste for Tool and A Perfect Circle (keep in mind that I have never bought a Tool CD). I alphabetized areas, and my eyes fell upon the band for which I was looking (Tool if you haven't already figured that out). Perusing through the numerous albums, I found a disk that had many of my favorite Tool songs. I read over the front, back, and the top sticker (which clearly said TOOL). I decided to purchase it along with A Perfect Circle "eMotive". Getting back to my aunt and uncle's house, I anxiously put my new Tool CD into the computer for listening purposes. The first song begins, and I begin to realize that this CD sounds a bit unusual. Chalking it up to the fact that the only times I've heard these songs on satellite radio, I continue to peruse the CD. It's at this point that I realize that no one has started singing on any of the tracks. I look back at the CD case and realize that Chamber Made is not the name of this album, but rather the name of a Baroque group that has covered all of these wonderful Tool songs. What a scam! I like classical music and all, but this is ridiculous. So here I sit, typing a new post as I listen to the Baroque stylings of Chamber Made whilst they cover some of my favorite Tool songs. Caveat Emptor!!!

Life is Good

I am pretty nervous about next year because I have become quite accustomed to sleeping late, sitting around watching T.V., and doing what I want. I have come up with a few new ideas for my new group of seventh graders; for instance, on parent night, I am going to show a brief slide show (with some video) of fun things we did last year. I think parents like to see what they kids are going to be doing in school; what a way to show them. I have also revamped a couple of fun lessons from last year so that they will be even more effective. Other than that, I guess the only thing I have improved is my ability to predict the outcome of People's Court cases. I know it's sad, but I absolutely love that show...besides that, Marilyn Milian is the hottest judge on T.V. I love it when she puts cocky people in their place.

I may be enjoying a lazy life at the moment, but I am going to get some culture tonight. I am going to see Pirates of Penzance at the Gertrude Costello Performing Arts Center in the booming metropolis of Oxford. The piano player at my church is in it; that's not why I'm going, though :) I've never seen this performance before, so I hope that it is good. Of course, you can't go wrong with pirates, right Justin and Corrie!

Ho-Hum


Well, folks, my summer started off with a bang. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't have something to do; however, I have reached the inevitable point of nothing-to-do-ness. All I have done today is sit and reminisce about the past. I thought about old friends, old shenanigans, and other satisfying remembrances. The only problem with that is that when I start to reminisce, I often wonder "what if?" I begin comparing my life with the lives of those from my past whose current situations I have made up in my head. I was perusing myspace today which brought some of those current situations to light. This is going to sound extremely self-centered, but I tend to forget that other's lives continue to go on regardless if I am in the picture. After pulling up old friends' profiles, I felt as if I had been in a state of suspended animation while these people continued to live out their lives. I have this strange feeling that they have moved forward with their lives, and I am still the same guy I was 5 - 10 years ago. I am aware that my life has moved forward and that I have made so many new close friends, but it scares me to know that instead of being happy for these old friends of mine for growing up and moving forward, I am instead a bit jealous that I haven't been a part of it. I want to try and re-establish contact with them, but I wonder whether some of them will even remember who I am. I guess all I can do is reach out to open the lines of communication. If they respond, fantastic! If they give me the cold shoulder, then I guess they weren't a true friend to begin with. What an insecurity! Does anyone else ever feel this way?

No More Pencils, no more books...


I can't believe it, but the school year is officially over. I made it through my first year of teaching, and I am still alive and well. I have already started reflecting upon what I did well and what I could do better. I know that this will continue throughout the summer because educators should strive to be "reflective professionals". Sure, there were some bad times, but the good times far out weigh them. I want to post a couple of letters that I received on the last day of school. One is from a student and one is from a parent.

Student
I just absolutely loved science this year. It was sooo interesting, not mention fun! Haha, 8th period could really get you off topic! Lots of good memories! I'll see you next year.

Parent
I want to thank you for the wonderful year of science that you've given my daughter. She has been so stimulated by the subject and your method of teaching. We are grateful that you followed your heart to this profession. (I hope I'm right - at least it appears so!)

I will probably keep these two letters for the rest of my life as a reminder of the good things that I experienced during my first year. As I recharge my batteries this summer, I am already feeling the nervous excitement of starting next year. I hope and pray that I will receive another wonderful group of kids. I guess all groups of kids are wonderful if you believe that they are. Once you make the decision that the students sitting in front of you, no matter how they behave or where they come from, are wonderful you will truly begin to see them grow as people.

I hope to continue this blog over the summer. I will try to stay current with any travels or events that may occur. For those of you that are bound to a 9-5 or irregular hours this summer, try to make the most of the time-off that you get. For any teachers out there...relax, reflect, and recharge!

7.5 More Days and Counting


My, how the year has flown by. I know I have had my share of rants, but I do have to admit that I have had a pretty good first year. I'm sure that is hard to believe based on my posts, but you must keep in mind that I didn't comment on the whole first semester. My students have made quite the turn around academically. I just entered several grades, and I am happy to say that 95% of my students have a C or better for the year. We still have 9 weeks test to look forward to, so my grades could swing in either direction. I think that allowing the students to come up with test questions has had an influence in their test grades. Perhaps it gives them a sense of ownership which causes them to perform better. Every time I mention writing test questions I get a unanimous hem and haw, but I can't wait to show them Monday how much it has improved their grades. I am certain that I will continue this technique next year.

Speaking of next year, there has been a lot of unrest in my building lately. Teachers have been worried whether they will get their contracts renewed or not. There are also several teachers that have been at odds with the principal and are trying to form a united front to complain to the higher-ups about her. Thankfully, contracts were given out Friday (I did receive mine); I hope that things settle down with the faculty, now. I never knew how much teachers gossiped or how political education was. I am going to have to strengthen my beliefs/philosophy so that I can maintain a firm stance when questioned by other faculty.

I am extremely excited about the summer. I think it is so cool that I will get paid to sleep late, travel, kayak, watch T.V., and catch up with friends. For all of you that think teachers should work year round like every one else I say to you teach for a year and then make that comment with the same conviction. I hope that the summer goes by slowly so that I may fully recharge my batteries for next year. I am glad that I know have a year's worth of lesson plans with which I may reference.

One thing I am going to work on this summer is a children's book. I came up with the idea for a book that promotes literacy while watching an animated film. I would tell you what it is about, but I don't want any stray eyes stealing my idea that will allow me to retire :) I know what you are thinking: You always have some hair-brained plan to get rich quick. You are right, and I think this one may do the trick. I will try to keep you posted on the progress over the summer.