Monday -- the new Friday?

I did not want to go to work today. After I signed in, I asked a coworker, “Is it Friday yet?” His reply: “No.” I almost cried.

My mood this morning stemmed partly from my poor work ethic this weekend and partly from thoughts about where I am as a teacher right now. For one, I am still trying to regain my college work ethic. It still is just not there. During the week, I work hard; however, I am so exhausted by the time I get to the weekends, that I can barely do any work before Sunday evening. I tried to get ahead this weekend, but I still ended up staying up late Sunday night getting stuff done.

I wanted to get ahead this weekend because I do not think I am working nearly as efficiently as I should be right now. Since I just got two new inclusion courses, I am trying to wrap my head around those. At the same time, I still do not quite like how I am executing my lessons for my study skills class. I have two math levels (actually three now, since one student is Algebra 2), and I kind of try to teach two different courses in the same class. On top of that, I had to kind of create a curriculum for my social skills class. While I think it is good, I still second-guess myself sometimes.

So, I arrived at school tired from being up late and worried about my study skills and social skills classes. My study skills class was not what I wanted it to be. They kept students in homeroom for an extra 25 minutes because students came with the wrong type of backpacks. They all have to wear see-through or clear backpacks. They are really cracking down on it now. But anyway, I had 25 minutes less to work with, and I felt like I just rushed through things. I was a little frustrated, and the kids looked a little confused. It definitely was not my best work.

I then had my first biology class. The students in there seemed pretty good, and I actually understood what was going on…What a change from my days in high school biology!

During my planning period, I lamented to a fellow TFA co-worker that I felt inadequate, and that I felt lost. We had a talk, and he told me about stuff that was going on in his classroom. After a good, frank discussion, I left feeling that I needed to do something different in my last period class.

I went back to my room and changed all the desks around and put them into a circle. This may seem like a small thing, but it actually had a really positive effect on that class today. I ran part of my class period as a debate (whether or not education is a privilege or right), and the students really got into it! We also did some work on writing and reading. We mostly worked on being able to express our thoughts coherently and cohesively (ironic, since I spend lots of time rambling on this blog).

I felt great after the period. My slow trudge this morning transformed into a cheerful stride as I walked to my car after work. I was happy to be there.

I got into my car, jammed T.I. and Rihanna's "Life your Life," and drove home.