You might be wondering why I haven’t updated my blog…or you might not be, given that I don’t have a very good track record as a blogger. In any case, there really is a good excuse this time: I’ve been up to my eyeballs in work. I landed a teaching position last May, and was quite excited about it. The school has fantastic facilities and is in a rural area, both of which are attractive qualities as far as I am concerned. I was also lucky enough to be assigned classes that fit my skills and interests: Art I, Digital Photography and Art Appreciation.
I took a class in Digital Photography over the summer to get some professional training, since everything I’d learned had been trial by fire, and I fully intended to get a ton of planning done this summer so I could have an organized, well-ordered first year (for those of you who have forgotten that I am slightly OCD, here’s your reminder). Ahhh…but the best laid plans of mice and men go oft awry. And oh, how mine went awry. I discovered, despite my affinity for plans and schedules, that it is nearly impossible to plan for something you have very little information about. While the school district I teach in is very warm and caring, they aren’t always on top of passing along the crucial info. For instance, my digital photo class is a year long course. When did I find this out? On the first day when one of my students told me there was a mistake on my syllabus. Awe-some. And who knew that Art Appreciation had a sequel class Spring Semester? It sure as hell wasn’t me. So I started the year in a jumble of panic and a state of complete lack of preparation. I didn’t even know when I was supposed to be there in the morning until two days before the start of term. Not the way I generally roll.
While it did not take me long to adjust to the everyday grind, I have to admit that student teaching did not prepare me at all for what I am facing this year. Classroom management was a very small issue last year, but that was probably because I was under the wing of a veteran teacher who had established himself with the students. Even when he wasn’t in direct control of the class, or even in the room, I have come to realize that the kids knew who they would be dealing with should they step out of line. Plus, I had someone telling me what to do each day and reading the mountainous volume of emails that constantly streams in. So, even though I would like to report that I love my job and am an awesome teacher, it would be a lie…or at least a stretching of the truth. There are so many days when I wonder what the hell got into me. Why didn’t I just go get a nice job in art restoration or as a curator and live out the rest of my days in peace? This is not to say that I hate my job either, though. Some days are better than others, and occasionally, I feel like maybe I am getting somewhere. From what I understand, the first year is supposed to be wretched…so I am right on par. I’ll try to take comfort in that as I spend a good chunk of my Thanksgiving break working.