Friday, September 05, 2008

I need an airfreshener.

The year is off to a busy, hectic start.
-I've already said "penis" in class, shocking my students into silence.
-One mother has discovered that I don't send homework home to ill children, not because I'm kind and loving that way, but because I cannot package a lesson plan that relies on class discussion. She is perturbed. I explained that her son will have enough homework to do while he is in the hospital (badly broken leg), and that my class is very....light on textbook/written work, heavy on discussion and group activity.
-My new promotion apparently comes with responsibilities, of which I have no clue. Hmmm. Need to find clue.
-The heat is not on in the building, praise all higher beings, but the air circulation is off. Twenty teenagers, fresh (ha! NOT fresh!) from gym, cram into my room in the afternoon. Most of them are boys. Boys who don't have girlfriends, and don't yet realize the joys of pit stick. No air + gym class + boy odor = nasty haze of warm stench in my room.
-Politics. If I wanted to go into politics, I would be a friggin' politician. I'm not. So don't ask me to get involved in stupid, mindless "he said, she said" issues.
-I adore the student who brought me coffee today in an attempt at bribery.... she was 45 minutes late. 45 minutes late for a 70 minute class means she was absent. But, because she knows me from years past, she knew it would be in her very best interest to show up for at least a few minutes, find out what she missed, admit to skipping, and take whatever scolding I had for her. And she knew that coffee is always welcome. It doesn't excuse absences, but it makes me smile.
-I remember why I love teaching. It's been a crazy, tiring week, but I still wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I'll need to remember this feeling in February, when I want to string the little buggers up on the flag pole.
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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

So with you on the politics thing. There's a yahoo group I'm part of, and I've turned off notifications because I JUST DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT. (These are mostly Canadians discussing American politics; it's not even our own election, for heaven's sake.)

I will go so far as to say that we have a MUCH more sensible system: The election was called Sunday morning, and it'll all be over October 15. HOW long has the hullaballoo been going on down south? And, more to the point, how much is it COSTING? Ye gods.

Anonymous said...

(Oh, and that yahoo group? It has NOTHING to do about politics. Nothing.)

Mrs. Falkenberg said...

Mary: I know what you mean! I am starting to feel Americanized. But in the post, I was just talking about school politics, not "real world" stuff!
However, for some reason, the American election is the current hot topic of debate at a certain lunch table. It gets rather personal, and tense. Boggles my mind.