Year of Hell: Week One Recap

Monday was hell.
Tuesday was hell.
Wednesday, I wasn't sure I could really do this.
Thursday was better -- much better. When I realized that the students weren't where I had expected them to be, I chucked my lesson plan for the day and took a step backward, re-teaching the last two days. They responded. They're still Satan's Children, and they talk way too much, but they're getting better.
Friday was short, merciless, and irritating because:

1. Short day, because the teachers have a weekly inservice on Fridays

2. Merciless: I ordinarily eat my lunch during the Advisory period, because I don't have an advisory class, and then I work through lunch as a "yard duty" teacher. Lovely. I hate it, because I don't get to meet/bond with my fellow teachers during lunch. Also, I'm standing out in the sun for the whole lunch, which isn't pleasant. But on Friday, there's no advisory--so I have no time to eat. Fortunately, the teachers plan on bringing snacks and sometimes more to the inservice meeting. In the meantime, I'm going to have to get some quick-to-eat protein to make sure my blood sugar doesn't take a nosedive.

Also, the kids were a bit ... mean ... on Friday. I can laugh it off, but it wasn't pleasant.

3. Irritating: I developed a head cold late Thursday, and spent much of Friday a bit muzzleheaded. The meeting was particularly bad.

All in all, things are going well. My school is in the WASC* accreditation cycle this year, which will mean a lot of work. Normally, there would be huge committees to deal with all that, and a first-year teacher wouldn't have to do a lot. But my school is very small, so I'll be pitching in quite a bit.

Other than that, I think I'll be ok. It was a hell of a week, but it will get better as I improve and as I bond with the students.

*WASC: Western Association of School and Colleges