With one year of teaching on my belt, I was ready to tackle a new year. Well, almost ready. The strange thing about a year-round school format is, we end one year in early August and start a new one a few weeks later. The body and spirit do not quite have a true chance to regroup. In my case, there were 2 things happening that set the 2003-04 year on a bad footing.
The first was my apartment having a leaky water heater. It got my floor pretty wet, as well as attracting flies. I'd been there only a year and already there were problems.
The second was a bit bigger. I'd had a sort-of regular thing going with a woman named Treasa for several months. Right before the new year began, she got engaged to another person. Not that I had expected the relationship to get to that point, but it was still a crusher. Timing can really suck!
The result of both those events was my lack of psyched up first-day, actually first week, energy. However, it came back, and I had a pretty good class. The standout student was an energetic little guy named Christian, who happened to be Treasa's nephew. He reminded me a lot of me at that age...therefore he drove me nuts at times.
That year we were finally using a basal reading series and were quite excited over the implementation of it. The 1st grade team was also sent offsite to a literacy training once a week. That was fine, except that if a sub didn't take the class, we were called back to school. Former 3rd grade teacher Heidi had joined our team and was a welcome cheery addition, while Christy moved to Kindergarten. Jennifer P became Jennifer O in September. I attended the wedding with Treasa as my date, but just as friends. Apart from all that, the year went about as usual, which meant utter chaos at all times. I also tutored a couple days a week after school, which brought a little more money.
I kept attending the Friday happy hours, although they came less frequently that year. On one of them I caught sight of 2 co-workers passionately kissing as I headed for my car. 12 years later, it's still an image hard to shake, but those were strange times.
Also in this year, I switched to a new track, which meant different vacay sets. The best one was the first, which lasted pretty much all of November. After another dismal parent conference turnout and another whipped-cream intensive pie-throwing booth, I set out for California. First Santa Rosa, then down to San Diego. I was actually away for most of the break.
It is tough to say what made this year so memorable...probably it was not so much the in-class business as my free time dating. I met several women that year...many of them were 1-time dates, others were a bit longer. One in particular was Gigi, whom I was "steady" with for the first few months of 2004, to use a 50s term. Another briefer one was named Indy in November of 2003. Both of them couldn't quite get why I couldn't get more into the relationships. I was just trying to enjoy life outside of work for a change.
Another distraction was going to the gym a few times a week. Earlier in the year I saw the girth and needed to get it down. I had a trainer and that kept me in check. By Christmas, I was looking pretty good.
However, the myriad of women that I met that year was taking its toll on my sense of self-worth. I was 31 and having much more experience with women than I ever did in Santa Rosa. The time between dates was filled with a lot of lonely evenings at home. A pressure was building by summertime.
The year's end was more positive than the beginning. I was really sad to lose that group, but was even more troubled by another event. Our principal Teddy was making changes here and there and decided to move me from 1st to 5th grade. While I observed a few teachers in 5th, it still didn't prepare me for what was coming.
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Saturday, January 23, 2016
14 years of Good Morning...and class dismissed, part 1
14 years is quite s stretch for many teachers. Some stay longer, many drop out before they even get a foothold in the classroom. As for me, I think I've been born, died, and reborn more than twice. There are times when I am not sure what has kept me going all this time. When I scrape away all of the crap outside of the classroom, it is truly the kids that keep me going, particularly in the past 4 years. Other times, well, the survival instinct kicked in.
I've been wanting to write about this for a while, a big look at each year as I saw them. I really wanted to do it at the end of year 10, but that was another rebirth period, not a time to look back. I am actually going through a minor rebirth right now, but this one did not come from traumatic events, just a natural progression. Yeah yeah yeah, save it for Dr. Phil, Bry! Presenting, for your glaucomic pleasure....2002-14: A Masochist's Journey!
Part 1: 2002-03
What can one say about their first year of teaching? For me, as I suspect for others, it was not anywhere near what I'd gone to an extra 12 months of school for. I'd moved away from Santa Rosa to work in Las Vegas at a 12-month school. I'd spent a week and a half getting to know my way around before the trial by fire began. A three-day orientation for the billions of new recruits followed by a few days at my new school, Tom Williams Elementary in North Las Vegas. I was assigned to first grade.
I barely remember anything. I met some really nice people, some royal ass goblins, and just wanted an "Idiot's Guide to Teaching" if such a book existed. I really only had 4 days to get my classroom in some semblance of working order. Incidentally, this classroom was only qualified for that title in that it had desks and a white board for instruction. Other than that, it was a badly-painted piece of narrow hell, no space really for movement. I had been given a multi-book instruction guide for something called Investigations, something no plebe should be exposed to, at least not until a minimal basic comfort level in the classroom has been reached. Really, I spent 4 days putting whatever together just to give the kids a good show. I'd been given a HUGE binder only slightly thinner than the New York City Yellow Pages, giving all the learning standards for all grade levels. I had no idea where to begin. There were no textbooks for anything, really.
Tom Williams Elementary was an outdoor school, meaning all classrooms were accessed from the outside. I'd seen similar setups during my subbing days in Sonoma County, but somehow the concept made no sense in blazing-hot southern Nevada.My broom closet was connected to another on the inside. That teacher was Jennifer P., a friendly younger teacher willing to answer my questions and quelling my nervousness as best as she could. We had quite a motley crew on the 1st grade team. Down the row was Madlyn , a nice Canadian also new to Nevada, although she had experience. Further down was Scott , a good guy who I had for needed guy talk as it arose. Then there was Christy . I was unsure of what to make of her at first. She was friendly, yet kind of reserved. I figured that she'd seen many newbies come and go, how was I any different? There was also Kathleen , a sweet older teacher who worried quite a bit. Halie was another new teacher. Her cheerful take on things was always welcome. And then there was Beth , a nice teacher who gave me good practical lesson tips. All in all, I was happy to have these people in my new life.
Then there was our administration. Linda the principal was a peculiar one. I was grateful to her for hiring me at her school, but I was seeing some interesting personality quirks that were, for lack of a better word, unsettling. There was also the new assistant principal Kristie, a petite blonde Barbie doll-type was just just oh-so happy to be there. Either she'd do well or crash soon, it was hard to tell.
The year commenced. I had a nice first-year set of kids and I did the best I could with little to no materials, and it wasn't too bad. I also elected to take a course after-hours called Project LIFE, a language arts set of ideas for the younger grades. It was taught by Christy. I got a lot out of it, but I would have gotten a lot out of a cockroach if it had given any teaching advice that year. Within a few weeks, I was already on my first vacation! Really! Almost 3 weeks of freedom! I traveled back to Sonoma County to collect a few things I'd forgotten, drove down the coast through Big Sur, spent a few days in San Diego, and then back to work in early October.
Before I knew it, October's end had arrived. Coinciding with this was parent-teacher conference time. Of my 16 kids, only 4 parents came. This was to be my lesson in parent involvement in those parts. There was also the school carnival, where I participated in the pie-throwing contest and the dunking booth. And then there was Nevada Day, a day off on the last weekend of October. I took that opportunity to visit my grandma and her husband in the Phoenix area.
Already after 2 months I'd learned three things. First, I really enjoyed Friday happy hour with the crew. Tom Williams prompted drinking often. At these gatherings were Scott, sometimes Christy, Jennifer M., an obnoxious twit I grew to dislike; Nikea, a pretty chain-smoker who needed a bug removed from her ass, Leslye, a strange woman with a strange husband; Richard, a nice guy old enough to be my dad. I credit him for showing me how to make simplified lesson plans. Second, I learned that one cannot do much on a 2-paper ream allowance using broken-down copiers. The other thing was that there was quite the network of school spies operating to tell the boss anything and everything the teachers were doing. It's tough being a newbie and learning the nonofficial intricacies of professional life.
In December, we learned that Linda was leaving. Either voluntarily or forced out, I've never been 100% clear on that. She was allowed to take several of her spy network with her. What got me was that the people who wanted to be selected but were not were devastated. I guess I was too new to understand anything, but years down the road I'd see some ugly truths about many people who were left behind.
Before Christmas break, I played Santa Claus for most of the day. It was fun, but what stands out is having the bushy eyebrows rubber cemented on my forehead. That burned quite a bit!
Come January, we had a new boss named Teddy. She came along with bad news: No Child Left Behind was upon us and we were near rock bottom. I could only shrug, as I'd only been there a short time, nothing to stress about yet. However, a lot of other teachers like Jennifer M were now under the gun and had to start doing their jobs a lot more. What I liked about Teddy was that she got me some decent math materials. To me, the year was going a lot more smoothly. I was also getting to know Vegas better and began to look into the dating world.
By the third track break in May, I was feeling much better than in the fall. A good routine was forming. I was also chaperoning on the 4th grade trip to Ely. I discovered that Ely gets snow in May and I was severely underdressed. That last track break made for a really long summer. June and July made me grateful for a well-air-conditioned classroom closet.
The last day of school in early August was sad. It was a half day and the kids were tearful as dismissal time came. I was sad, too. They were a good group. Overall, I have to concede that the first year was one full of learnings, realizations, and reality checks. It really shone compared to the following year. Coming soon: part 2: 2003-04
I've been wanting to write about this for a while, a big look at each year as I saw them. I really wanted to do it at the end of year 10, but that was another rebirth period, not a time to look back. I am actually going through a minor rebirth right now, but this one did not come from traumatic events, just a natural progression. Yeah yeah yeah, save it for Dr. Phil, Bry! Presenting, for your glaucomic pleasure....2002-14: A Masochist's Journey!
Part 1: 2002-03
What can one say about their first year of teaching? For me, as I suspect for others, it was not anywhere near what I'd gone to an extra 12 months of school for. I'd moved away from Santa Rosa to work in Las Vegas at a 12-month school. I'd spent a week and a half getting to know my way around before the trial by fire began. A three-day orientation for the billions of new recruits followed by a few days at my new school, Tom Williams Elementary in North Las Vegas. I was assigned to first grade.
I barely remember anything. I met some really nice people, some royal ass goblins, and just wanted an "Idiot's Guide to Teaching" if such a book existed. I really only had 4 days to get my classroom in some semblance of working order. Incidentally, this classroom was only qualified for that title in that it had desks and a white board for instruction. Other than that, it was a badly-painted piece of narrow hell, no space really for movement. I had been given a multi-book instruction guide for something called Investigations, something no plebe should be exposed to, at least not until a minimal basic comfort level in the classroom has been reached. Really, I spent 4 days putting whatever together just to give the kids a good show. I'd been given a HUGE binder only slightly thinner than the New York City Yellow Pages, giving all the learning standards for all grade levels. I had no idea where to begin. There were no textbooks for anything, really.
Tom Williams Elementary was an outdoor school, meaning all classrooms were accessed from the outside. I'd seen similar setups during my subbing days in Sonoma County, but somehow the concept made no sense in blazing-hot southern Nevada.My broom closet was connected to another on the inside. That teacher was Jennifer P., a friendly younger teacher willing to answer my questions and quelling my nervousness as best as she could. We had quite a motley crew on the 1st grade team. Down the row was Madlyn , a nice Canadian also new to Nevada, although she had experience. Further down was Scott , a good guy who I had for needed guy talk as it arose. Then there was Christy . I was unsure of what to make of her at first. She was friendly, yet kind of reserved. I figured that she'd seen many newbies come and go, how was I any different? There was also Kathleen , a sweet older teacher who worried quite a bit. Halie was another new teacher. Her cheerful take on things was always welcome. And then there was Beth , a nice teacher who gave me good practical lesson tips. All in all, I was happy to have these people in my new life.
Then there was our administration. Linda the principal was a peculiar one. I was grateful to her for hiring me at her school, but I was seeing some interesting personality quirks that were, for lack of a better word, unsettling. There was also the new assistant principal Kristie, a petite blonde Barbie doll-type was just just oh-so happy to be there. Either she'd do well or crash soon, it was hard to tell.
The year commenced. I had a nice first-year set of kids and I did the best I could with little to no materials, and it wasn't too bad. I also elected to take a course after-hours called Project LIFE, a language arts set of ideas for the younger grades. It was taught by Christy. I got a lot out of it, but I would have gotten a lot out of a cockroach if it had given any teaching advice that year. Within a few weeks, I was already on my first vacation! Really! Almost 3 weeks of freedom! I traveled back to Sonoma County to collect a few things I'd forgotten, drove down the coast through Big Sur, spent a few days in San Diego, and then back to work in early October.
Before I knew it, October's end had arrived. Coinciding with this was parent-teacher conference time. Of my 16 kids, only 4 parents came. This was to be my lesson in parent involvement in those parts. There was also the school carnival, where I participated in the pie-throwing contest and the dunking booth. And then there was Nevada Day, a day off on the last weekend of October. I took that opportunity to visit my grandma and her husband in the Phoenix area.
Already after 2 months I'd learned three things. First, I really enjoyed Friday happy hour with the crew. Tom Williams prompted drinking often. At these gatherings were Scott, sometimes Christy, Jennifer M., an obnoxious twit I grew to dislike; Nikea, a pretty chain-smoker who needed a bug removed from her ass, Leslye, a strange woman with a strange husband; Richard, a nice guy old enough to be my dad. I credit him for showing me how to make simplified lesson plans. Second, I learned that one cannot do much on a 2-paper ream allowance using broken-down copiers. The other thing was that there was quite the network of school spies operating to tell the boss anything and everything the teachers were doing. It's tough being a newbie and learning the nonofficial intricacies of professional life.
In December, we learned that Linda was leaving. Either voluntarily or forced out, I've never been 100% clear on that. She was allowed to take several of her spy network with her. What got me was that the people who wanted to be selected but were not were devastated. I guess I was too new to understand anything, but years down the road I'd see some ugly truths about many people who were left behind.
Before Christmas break, I played Santa Claus for most of the day. It was fun, but what stands out is having the bushy eyebrows rubber cemented on my forehead. That burned quite a bit!
Come January, we had a new boss named Teddy. She came along with bad news: No Child Left Behind was upon us and we were near rock bottom. I could only shrug, as I'd only been there a short time, nothing to stress about yet. However, a lot of other teachers like Jennifer M were now under the gun and had to start doing their jobs a lot more. What I liked about Teddy was that she got me some decent math materials. To me, the year was going a lot more smoothly. I was also getting to know Vegas better and began to look into the dating world.
By the third track break in May, I was feeling much better than in the fall. A good routine was forming. I was also chaperoning on the 4th grade trip to Ely. I discovered that Ely gets snow in May and I was severely underdressed. That last track break made for a really long summer. June and July made me grateful for a well-air-conditioned classroom closet.
The last day of school in early August was sad. It was a half day and the kids were tearful as dismissal time came. I was sad, too. They were a good group. Overall, I have to concede that the first year was one full of learnings, realizations, and reality checks. It really shone compared to the following year. Coming soon: part 2: 2003-04
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