Sunday, October 30, 2011

Weekly Wrap-up for October 30, 2011: Crossroads.

Hi guys. Like usual, I had a bit of a crazy week. I recently took over the Student Government (Student Council) class at school, and I had my first event with them on Thursday night. It was a great success and we had a record number of teams sign up to participate in the Dodgeball Tournament. We also managed to raise a good chunk of money for the school. I feel pretty darn good about that!

I have also been swamped with papers over the last couple of weeks. I fell behind about two weeks ago and I am still playing catch-up. I only have two sets of assignments to go until I am COMPLETELY caught up. This will be victorious for sure. I am usually very good about getting papers back right away, but with taking over the Student Government class...well, I fell behind.

This week also marks the end of our first marking period. I'm a little sad about it. I only have four weeks left in the building, and two of those weeks aren't even full weeks (one week the kids have 2 days off and for another, they have 3 days off-Thanksgiving break). *sigh* I have made some great strides with the kiddos in the last couple of weeks. I finally feel like we have a groove down and that they are doing better with understanding my teaching style. That's going to disappear in a few weeks.

I also have some apprehension about leaving. This is the first long-term assignment I have been in where the teacher I am covering is returning to teach "my" kids. In my very first long-term, I left after the second trimester and another long-term sub stepped in to end the year. And of course, last year, she decided to take the rest of the school year off. So, of course, I am a little nervous about her reentering the classroom and taking over. What will the kids say? Will she think that I did a good job? Will she decide, after talking to the kids, that I was horrible? The whole situation makes me nervous. And I don't know what to really think about it.

And with the end of my position coming to an end, I have to think about what's next. For the first time in a year and a half, I am staring at unemployment for a few months. Yes, I will be able to do the daily subbing thing, but that isn't always steady. I'm a little worried about what that will mean (yes financially, but also emotionally). I can be honest and say that my emotions have been all over the place since the beginning of the school year. I hate uncertainty. And that is what Thanksgiving will bring (the Tuesday before is my last day-the 22nd).

So if I freak out and seem more like..well, not myself, you'll know why. In any case, I'm at a bit of a crossroads and I am mulling over a lot of big life decisions. I'm trying to decide what my goals are. I always come back to the fact that I am 26 and have no real job. It bothers me. And as much as I try to avoid thinking about it, I am still bothered by it. But, I am doing my best to remain optimistic, taking advantage of any opportunities that come my way, and doing research about what I really want to do. I just hope it all works out some way.

Anyway, in reading this week, I had some missteps coming off of the readathon last weekend. I did manage to finish Inferno this morning on a break from grading papers, but haven't started anything new. I don't think Richard III is going to work right now, so I might pick out something else. The kids won't be turning in any big assignments until the end of the week, so I will have my weeknights almost free to read as I please. Does anyone have any suggestions of things I should read?

I am going to spend the next hour or so fixing up my reviews of Julius Caesar, Winter in the Blood, and Inferno for posts this week (Inferno will go up first). At least I'll have some new things for you all to read! :)

Oh, has anyone else had a LOT of spam in recent weeks on their blogs? I have been getting a ridiculous amount...on older posts...and I find it really irritating. Anyone?

Happy reading!

9 comments:

  1. I feel for your situation right now. It's not exactly the same for me, but it is close enough to understand a little how you must feel- I'm 21 and I have a long time ahead of me until I finally graduate from university. I can't help but to think of how different my current situation is from what I thought it would be. I don't think you're looking for advice as much as you're looking for encouragement, so here it is: hang in there. From everything you've written about your job I can tell how much you love teaching and how passionate you are about it. It might take longer than you hoped for, but I'm sure you'll get the permanent teaching position you're looking for.

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  2. I'm pretty sure the other teacher won't think you've done a horrible job!!

    I hope something else comes up quickly for you Allie!

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  3. I'm really sorry you're feeling in limbo, Allie. They need to get you a permanent position. Easier said than done, I know. But as to your fears: I can't imagine any teacher not appreciating the work and passion you put into teaching.

    Sending out good thoughts to you, Allie. I know that when you're fitted into a permanent classroom, it will be a perfect match for you, and it will have been worth the wait.

    But waiting -- so hard. Stay strong. :-)

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  4. You have done a wonderful job with your kids, and I'm sure the other teacher will see that right away. I don't think you have anything to worry about concerning that part of your situation.

    And yes, I have been getting a ton of spam on my blog in recent weeks, and almost all of it has been on older posts. Very strange, indeed.

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  5. Sorry to hear you are feeling a bit down and stressed about things at the moment. I know its easy to say, but I know in my experience things always work out for the best. As for the other teacher, you know you did a great job and we know you did too, and I am sure that the kids learnt things too so try not to worry too much. I am sure that something will come your way.

    Don't know if it helps, but at least a year ago I had the same spam problem on older posts and I changed my comment system to intense debate and have never had spam since.

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  6. On the permanency thing, I have been doing my job for 4 years straight on a temp basis with my contract just being extended. Sometimes its extended for 6 months at a time, sometmies for 1 month at a time, and always on the last day of the contract. Its been driving me crazy especially now that I am having a baby next year and I don't know what will happen with my contract and how it will effect my maternity leave.

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  7. Meh, I've been seeing an increase in spam. It might be time for me to turn on the captcha codes again :/

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  8. I'm sorry to hear that you've been feeling so down lately. It's tough, I know. I think there are a lot of twenty-somethings in the same job limbo. Somehow, we all have to manage to keep our hope up.

    From what you've written, I doubt you'll have to worry about what the teacher thinks when you return--it really sounds like you've done a good job.

    I hope you have a good week (and good reads)!

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