A Week in the Life of a Teacher
Day 6 or Saturday School?
7:30 - 8: Before Saturday School
I get to Saturday School a little early for a few reasons: 1) I’ve never done it before, and I don’t know what I’m doing; 2) I need to get some things together in my room for students that I have coming to make-up essays; 3) I want to tidy things up a bit before I have a sub on Monday. It doesn’t take very long to get everything today, so I spend like 5 minutes just quietly eating my breakfast before going downstairs.
8 - 9: 1st Hour
I go downstairs to the Media Center, which is where I’m stationed. No one is there but the coordinator, and I introduce myself. He tells me how to clock in, and also explains that there isn’t really anything in particular that I’m supposed to do. Just float around and see if anyone needs help.
I don’t really do well without a specific task, so I can already tell that this is going to be a long day for me. I clock in, and then I help organize the folders of work that were left for the students. Students start to amble in, and we get them all situated.
9 - 10: 2nd Hour
An assistant principal asks if I can help him with a student who is here for discipline, but they don’t have a work folder and brought no work with them. We look up their schedule, and I try to get some work together for them. I ask a math teacher that’s here if she can help gather some of the student’s missing assignments together, and I contact her English teacher. She seems really sweet, and she’s really cooperative when I go get her from a different room and bring her into the media center.
I get her settled in with the math teacher, and go see if a student in one of my classes needs help. He didn’t bring his backpack with him, so he doesn’t have any of his work to do. I try to get him some stuff to work on, but he doesn’t really seem too interested. He asks me if I will go get him some Chik-fil-a if he gives me some money, and I tell him that unfortunately I can’t leave either.
Another one of my students come in, and I tease him a little bit, saying “I’m so sorry you’re here this Saturday, because I’m going to bother you the entire time.” He says, “Why are you going to do that?” And I say, “You bother me during the week, so I’m going to get my revenge.” He laughs and goes to his seat.
10 - 11: 3rd Hour
Two of my students arrive to take their make-up essay, and I get them situation in the testing room. Then I have to report to “Back Door Duty.” For 45 minutes, my job is the sit by the back door and make sure no kids try to sneak out. I can sit down, put my feet up, and be on my laptop, so I low key hope that whoever is supposed to relieve me forgets, and I can just stay back here forever.
A few teachers walk by and don’t seem too thrilled that I’m just chilling back here with my laptop, but I’m guarding this door. It’s my job. I take it very seriously. And the best way for me to guard this door is to put my feet up on this desk.
I have a bunch of essays to grade, and packed them and brought them with me, but I have no desire to grade. I’m too tired after this week.
The math teacher walks over because she’s supposed to take my place on “back door duty,” but I tell her that I will gladly stay at my post if she wants to keep working her students. She says that’s great, and I get to stay with my sweet setup.
Two teachers bring a student to come sit by me to do his work since he can’t work or focus anywhere else. The kid sits down and quietly gets to work.
11-12: 4th Hour
The last hour goes by kind of quickly. I guess I just got used to the monotony.
I help put the student work folders back in the the teacher boxes, and then I maintain my post by the back door. Observing the politics of Saturday School has been really interesting. Apparently, there’s a teacher hierarchy at play for some of the people here. Others aren’t playing into any kind of politics at all. It’s been pretty amusing to watch it all go down.
Everything wraps up without incident. I wish I had more to report, but nothing really happened.
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