A Week in the Life of a Teacher: Day 6 It's Friday I'm in Love
8:00-8:55 Before school
- I glance at my school email while waiting in line at the Krankies coffee drive through and learn that I have been selected as one of ten finalists for Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools teacher of the year. I immediately start crying. The barista comes up to my car to take my order and tells me that my student, who I didn't know was in the car in front of me, had bought my coffee. More tears. I arrive at school to an enormous outpouring of love: my principal has forwarded the email to the whole staff.
- A co-worker and I notice a boy neither of us teaches sitting outside another teacher's door, listening to his headphones. He is solemn, so we decided he's listening to either Morrisey or The Cure and not "Friday I'm in Love" Cure, but "Boys Don't Cry Cure" - why else would he look so downtrodden. Finally she asks him: Foo Fighters. Sometimes it's the little conversations that just make your day.
- I glance at my school email while waiting in line at the Krankies coffee drive through and learn that I have been selected as one of ten finalists for Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools teacher of the year. I immediately start crying. The barista comes up to my car to take my order and tells me that my student, who I didn't know was in the car in front of me, had bought my coffee. More tears. I arrive at school to an enormous outpouring of love: my principal has forwarded the email to the whole staff.
- A co-worker and I notice a boy neither of us teaches sitting outside another teacher's door, listening to his headphones. He is solemn, so we decided he's listening to either Morrisey or The Cure and not "Friday I'm in Love" Cure, but "Boys Don't Cry Cure" - why else would he look so downtrodden. Finally she asks him: Foo Fighters. Sometimes it's the little conversations that just make your day.
8:55-10:25 1st Period English I ESL/Standard (27 freshmen)
- I tell my students my news, and they are so sweet and ask thoughtful questions about what happens next. One of my quietest students calls me over and says, "So you've lost." "No, I'm moving on in the process." "I know. Just kidding. You're a really great teacher, and I am so happy for you." This is one of my hispanic students whose been reserved and depressed for several months. Again, I tear up. I tell him I love him and am thankful to be his teacher. It really was the nicest moment of the day.
- We define our tone words, and teach our literary terms movements to one of my former students who has come to volunteer in my classroom. We complete rhetorical analysis of a commercial (Coca Cola Mini: Ant Man vs. Hulk). A few days ago we had started a worksheet identify types of imagery in the novel, but we never got to finish it. Yesterday they ASKED ME if they could have time to work on it and their complex characters chart (creating a line graph that illustrates the characters' complexity as it develops over the course of the novel)! Of course I told them yes, so they worked the rest of the class, diligently. Don't worry: there was enough immaturity to go around for a class period, but they are getting better about taking responsibility for themselves.
- I tell my students my news, and they are so sweet and ask thoughtful questions about what happens next. One of my quietest students calls me over and says, "So you've lost." "No, I'm moving on in the process." "I know. Just kidding. You're a really great teacher, and I am so happy for you." This is one of my hispanic students whose been reserved and depressed for several months. Again, I tear up. I tell him I love him and am thankful to be his teacher. It really was the nicest moment of the day.
- We define our tone words, and teach our literary terms movements to one of my former students who has come to volunteer in my classroom. We complete rhetorical analysis of a commercial (Coca Cola Mini: Ant Man vs. Hulk). A few days ago we had started a worksheet identify types of imagery in the novel, but we never got to finish it. Yesterday they ASKED ME if they could have time to work on it and their complex characters chart (creating a line graph that illustrates the characters' complexity as it develops over the course of the novel)! Of course I told them yes, so they worked the rest of the class, diligently. Don't worry: there was enough immaturity to go around for a class period, but they are getting better about taking responsibility for themselves.
10:25-12:00 2nd Period: Honors Shakespeare (9 juniors and seniors)
- Uneventful hall duty. It's a weird day because there are no bells, and we live by bells. Class starts a little late. We chat about the news in their lives: one student's dad was in the hospital all week and he was released today, some students are waiting to hear from colleges. We read some Twelfth Night, and realize that it is a really weird play. Then we watch a bit of them movie with Helena Bonham Carter as Olivia.
- Uneventful hall duty. It's a weird day because there are no bells, and we live by bells. Class starts a little late. We chat about the news in their lives: one student's dad was in the hospital all week and he was released today, some students are waiting to hear from colleges. We read some Twelfth Night, and realize that it is a really weird play. Then we watch a bit of them movie with Helena Bonham Carter as Olivia.
12:00-2:00 3rd Period Planning
- A French class meets in my room, so I have to pack up my papers, books, etc and head to the workroom where I have a working lunch grading, preparing for 4th period, and answering emails. At 12:50, I head down to the cafeteria for lunch duty. It's chilly today, so all the students are inside. I am supposed to walk around outside, but I am grateful to be inside today. I chat with a co-working, and talk to one of our assistant principals. I don't get anything done, but today feels relaxed and that's so nice. Around 1:20 I head back to the workroom to work some more. A student comes to make up a quiz during this time and has to sit in the workroom with me because I have no where else to send her, there is testing in the library and no empty classrooms. She and my colleagues are sweet about it, through.
- A French class meets in my room, so I have to pack up my papers, books, etc and head to the workroom where I have a working lunch grading, preparing for 4th period, and answering emails. At 12:50, I head down to the cafeteria for lunch duty. It's chilly today, so all the students are inside. I am supposed to walk around outside, but I am grateful to be inside today. I chat with a co-working, and talk to one of our assistant principals. I don't get anything done, but today feels relaxed and that's so nice. Around 1:20 I head back to the workroom to work some more. A student comes to make up a quiz during this time and has to sit in the workroom with me because I have no where else to send her, there is testing in the library and no empty classrooms. She and my colleagues are sweet about it, through.
2:05-3:35 4th Period AP Lit (30 seniors)
-I break the sad news to them that we are not going to be able to go see Macbeth performed at Wake Forest University because we don't have enough activity busses to take all of my students. They are upset and were really looking forward to it. They complete a practice test of one-selection from an AP exam and we go through the answers together. It's not fun, but it's helpful - so they tell me. I do a model think-aloud about chapters 9-10 of Jane Eyre, which they read for homework. I go through the chapter and describe how I analyze specific parts as I read. I tell them how my grandmother traumatized me as a child by showing me the Orson Welles version of Jane Eyre where Jane wakes up with a dead Helen (played by Elizabeth Taylor) in her bed. I even re-inact it for them. "Get in the bed Jane. Your hands are cold Jane. I'll warm them up," I say in my creepiest voice, "and then she wakes up with a dead girl." They think i'm crazy, but I think they love it. They work in pairs to complete their sestina poems. I got a glimpse at some of them, and they look really great. One group wrote in first person as Jane Eyre. I run to the workroom to make a few more copies of their rubric, and one of my seniors in another class is standing outside talking to another teacher. Her mother who has substance abuse and mental health problems has kicked her out; she's been living in her car a few nights. While this inconsistency is not new to her, the other teacher and I convince her to go talk to the school social worker to make sure she's at least safe. I head back to class, help my students add zeugmas to their sestinas, and wish them well for the weekend.
-I break the sad news to them that we are not going to be able to go see Macbeth performed at Wake Forest University because we don't have enough activity busses to take all of my students. They are upset and were really looking forward to it. They complete a practice test of one-selection from an AP exam and we go through the answers together. It's not fun, but it's helpful - so they tell me. I do a model think-aloud about chapters 9-10 of Jane Eyre, which they read for homework. I go through the chapter and describe how I analyze specific parts as I read. I tell them how my grandmother traumatized me as a child by showing me the Orson Welles version of Jane Eyre where Jane wakes up with a dead Helen (played by Elizabeth Taylor) in her bed. I even re-inact it for them. "Get in the bed Jane. Your hands are cold Jane. I'll warm them up," I say in my creepiest voice, "and then she wakes up with a dead girl." They think i'm crazy, but I think they love it. They work in pairs to complete their sestina poems. I got a glimpse at some of them, and they look really great. One group wrote in first person as Jane Eyre. I run to the workroom to make a few more copies of their rubric, and one of my seniors in another class is standing outside talking to another teacher. Her mother who has substance abuse and mental health problems has kicked her out; she's been living in her car a few nights. While this inconsistency is not new to her, the other teacher and I convince her to go talk to the school social worker to make sure she's at least safe. I head back to class, help my students add zeugmas to their sestinas, and wish them well for the weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment