AuburnChick's Adventures

How many of you started singing along as soon as you read the title of my post?

Honestly, I wanted to title this post, “Monday Sucked,” but the language seemed a bit vulgar for a high school teacher.

Still, I just said it, didn’t I.

Seriously, what made yesterday so rough?

Hmmm…first of all, it was the first day of a new semester.  Though I kept most of my students…intensive reading classes run all year long…I lost six and gained around twelve.

It.

Was.

Ugly.

I’d spent most of the weekend prepping and thought I had my act together.

I should have known, though, as I tossed and turned Sunday night, that my hopes were based upon fluff and inexperience.

Acclimating the new students to established routines was h-e-double-hockey-sticks.

Except for my fourth period class who, as usual, proved to be my saving grace.

First of all, I made the mistake of placing a new, unexpected student beside a hormonal, girl-crazy boy.

Oh Lord help us.

After class, I changed her seating.  She’ll be surprised when she comes to class today.

Second, I made the mistake of snapping my fingers to get my students’ attention.

Oh Lord help me.

One of my new students took offense, telling me not to snap at him like he was a dog.

I ate some crow and apologized.

I think he’s going to forgive me.

Another of my classes went hog wild for no conceivable reason.  The new students were quiet, so I can’t blame them.

Let’s just say that mamas and grandmamas were called after school.

Lord help me.

All of this follows an episode last week when a student who was not even one of mine called me “Mufasa,” after the Lion King character (watch to the end)…

She was trying to prove that she wasn’t afraid of me.

And she did the arm thing where she waved me off.

This after she disturbed my class by yelling in the hallway and challenged my authority to write her up.

Yeah.

Not too bright.

So, it’s no surprise that I went into school determined to set firm boundaries.

I’ve got a lot to teach between now and FCAT time…April…and I cannot afford to waste precious minutes disciplining teenagers who know what’s expected of them.

A fellow teacher gave me the following script, which I’m going to have students read out when I require them to call their parents, from my classroom, if they misbehave or repeatedly fail to turn in work…

Oh, Manic Monday, how you tried to thwart me from enjoying the dream I long nurtured, but I have a little secret for you.

Tuesday came, and I’m hopefully kicking its butt even as my readers pore over my heartfelt words.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: Mondays, teaching | 3 Comments »

What do you get when you mix the following ingredients:  a return to the classroom after two days of substitutes, desks that have been rearranged into neat columns and rows for the ACT test that was administered in your classroom, half-finished projects, an “invisible” guided reading table buried beneath tons of papers, and PMS?

The makings for a stressful morning, that’s what!

Oh my word.

Talk about having a Monday!

After rearranging my desks into groups of five, I barely had time to erase last week’s instructions from the white board before my first period class came in.

It was not the easiest class period, but I did the best I could.

I lost my composure, though, when Barbara came in during my planning and commented on the state of my table.

Oy, but I felt so overwhelmed.

You see, that table represented the status of my brain…buried under mounds of work that needs to be tended to.

I simply must learn to keep my emotions in check, though, because Barb is a worrywart.  She is a people person and has a deep desire to fix all of the wrongs in the world.

She’s wonderful, and she usually manages to fix most of the wrongs that cross her path.

I don’t want to worry her, though.  She’s an amazing friend to have, and I’m blessed.

So, I found my way to her office, apologized for my meltdown, and made my way to my classroom, where I sucked it up.

I plowed my way through those piles of paper and called her into my classroom.

She laughed when I showed her my table.

It was clean.

I wish I’d remembered to take a picture of it, but my hormone-infused brain simply forgot.

That could be because I was toting two bags of exams and projects when I left.

Before I left, though, my mentor teacher stopped by and asked if I would “allow” her to come into one of my classes this week and model a Kagan strategy.

I wanted to laugh.

Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, I’m fairly certain that I did…out of relief, mind you.

“Honey,” I wanted to say, “You can come model (i.e. teach) in my classroom any time!”

Truth be told, I still lack confidence in my teaching skills, and I welcome any opportunity to watch a pro in action.  That’s how I learn best.

So, what started out as a morning primed for disaster turned into something manageable, thanks to the concern and care of friends.

Still, I think that next Monday, I’ll make sure that my pot is full of different ingredients…stuff like organized lesson plans, copies already made, and an attitude ready to handle the unexpected pitfalls that inevitably accompany Mondays.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: Mondays, teaching | 5 Comments »