Bear Necessities

I abhor the idea of consequences.  It makes me squirm.  I have never respected authority for the sake of authority, but because of respect of those wielding it, therefore the idea that I students will be facing strict rules for missteps sits poorly with me.  I did not start the year very strict as a result.  In three of my 6 classes this worked.  I can ask them to pay attention or to quite down and they will.  In those classes combined I have given 1 writing assignment and 1 referral total.  I like those 3 classes. 

My other 3 classes have caused me to quickly overcome my squeamishness about consequences.  At first I was giving writing assignments (copying out of the glossary) and requiring them the next day.  This was too hard to keep track of, especially for 1st period where there were multiple infractions a day.  So I keep books in the back of my room and when someone acts up I make them stop what they are doing to do the writing assignment.  This has the benefit of being immediate, it has the drawback that it takes them away from classwork and gives them less time to cool off and decide that defiance isn't the best option.  1st and 7th period are a daily struggle for control, but at least I've gotten over the need to be too nice.  While we were warned that October is hard because teachers tend to start easing up on consequences, I am really just getting mine going.

I will say this.  I have tried to be really mean.  This works for a day at most.  Even with my most disruptive classes I've found that the best defense is a good lesson plan and my enthusiasm for that lesson.  Once I start giving consequences they get more focused on that than the math.

If you believe in life-long learning, if you believe that learning doesn't stop when you leave the classroom, and you are a teacher then do you ever really clock out?  

Tonight I attempted meatloaf.  I am happy (sort of) to report that I successfully ingested it.  If I survive the night you can expect to read of my triumphs in next month's edition of Martha Stewart's Living.

All further posts are going to be available to friends only, so if you want to read my enlightened musings ask me to add you as a friend.  That is all.

Two days into the program and we certainly aren't wading in slowly.  I've been waking up at 6:45 and not getting to bed till midnight, and still not having enough time in the day to do everything that needs to get done.  After crawling to the end of my senior year it feels really great to go to bed completely exhausted with a sense of accomplishment.

The sense of accomplishment is still a rather abstract one.  This week there are no students and we haven't done of lick of lesson planning.  Nevertheless I'm feeling gradually more prepared and the reality of what I have chosen to do is sinking in. 

They are trying their best to scare us, to make sure our expectations are in the right place.  No matter how well we prepare, nothing is as good a lesson as doing it on your own.  The warnings in the classroom combined with the war stories from the veterans are really starting to give me a picture of what I'm going to face.  I don't think its really working on me though.  I had a moment yesterday where I wondered just what I had gotten myself into, but it past and was replaced by a strong sense of conviction.  Despite everything I'm being told, and perhaps rather foolishly, I believe that my year will not be a battle for survival but rather a battle to help the students grow.

As part of moving to a new world I've been very conscious about observing life in Mississippi.  This along with teaching are the reasons I joined the program.  The first observation is that IT IS HOT, but you probably could have guessed that.  In addition to that the Ole Miss campus may be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.  Meticulously kept lawns lined with magnolia trees.  Great brick architecture and the sun always seems to be shining.  I can't decide if its more like a country club or a resort.  I asked a few strangers for directions and gotten some of the most polite answers I've ever received, I feel like I'm learning a whole new means of social interaction and have to keep stopping myself from getting straight to business in a conversation.

When I combine all this with the amazing group of fellow teachers I find myself thrown in with (note the sucking up in case any of them bother to read this) I feel like I've made a good decision.  Its still early, and the job may yet break my ever-present optimism but as of today I'm exactly where I want to be.

I feel a little silly writing a blog.  Its not something I've done before and I can't quite figure out who the audience is.  Is it a place for my personal reflections? Story telling?  Passing on my sage wisdom to others? (yeah right).  I want to take the task seriously and give it a full and honest effort, but I'm also drawn to take a humorous and flippant attitude to avoid being preachy and self indulgent.  I guess I have some time to find my voice, there's not alot I can really talk about but my anticipation and expectations until I arrive, so here goes nothing.

Thirteen days till I have to report to oxford, but it hasn't hit me yet.  When I tell people where I'll be spending the next two years of my life they always say the same things.  They always ask me if I'm nervous, jumping into such a big unknown, and I pull out my stock answer of nervous but really excited.  This is kind of a blind adventure for me, not the teaching aspect of it.  I know I love to teach and while I'm sure it will be one of the most challenging things I've ever done, I'm motivated by that fact rather than frightened.  The unknown for me is living on my own, in the south, in a town of 1100 people, all entirely new experiences for me. 

Which brings me back to where I started, it hasn't hit me yet.  I'm not done with school yet.  I still have 2 papers and 3 final exams between me and graduation.  I have a end of the year concert with my a cappella group.  IM sports are still going on.  I have to plan for my family coming and graduation.  I have to pack up everything I own and say goodbye to everyone I've know for the past four years.  That doesn't leave a lot of time to get caught up in the excitement of starting a new life in a new place.  I can't imagine a better outcome for my post college plans, I am thrilled to be a member of MTC, maybe it'll hit me when I arrive, in the meantime I still have ten pages to write on riverboat casinos