New School, New Blog Entries!

Wow, so I have not been consistent about this thing at all. I really wish I had because there is so many things I know I've forgotten that I wish I hadn't. Maybe I'll finally get on track and do better.

So, anyway, I started at a new school. I moved from the Bronx to Everett, WA this summer and it took me awhile to find a job. As of last week, I am employed by a high school which plays my old high school in athletics. It's kind of strange being here. For so long, they were the enemy, but now I am one of them.

I started so late because the teacher before me retired a month into school due to medical difficulties. I started last Monday and it's been a crazy week. The students had the original teacher for a month, then a long-term sub for two weeks, then me. I really wasn't sure what to expect when I walked in the door last week. The students are great - much more conscientious than my past school. Part of that may be because I am no longer teaching special education. Some of that is the environment as well - students in the Bx aren't always the most polite and caring because their families are the same way. Here, it seems to me, is a bit different. Most of the students are kind and really want to do well. I was surprised last week when a student asked it we were going to do work. He was honestly anxious to do something after a month and a half of doing very little. I hope he doesn't regret the comment now, because I've put them to work.

It is also very odd to come into the middle of a unit. The freshmen were working on The Odyssey, something I have very little familiarity with. The juniors, however, were working on The Crucible, which I have read before. Either way, I had to jump into the middle of the stories and try to wrap them up. Also, the grades I got from the previous teacher make little sense, so I ended up restarting the grading for the students. With so little time left in the quarter, I hope this doesn't end up hurting the students.