The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

The Good:

Returning to school feels like a happy reunion, in a way. I guess I spent more waking hours in that building than anywhere else for 9 months of my life, so it’s easy to believe that my team & other coworkers became like an extended family. I remember feeling totally clueless this time last year, not knowing even where to begin, but feeling like decorating my room was the most important task. This year, school gossip (as in, who’s still here, who’s new, etc.) takes priority, and if my room isn’t ready by Open House, I’m not all that concerned. Funny how things change.

The Bad:

Apparently our schedule has been revised this year, to accommodate a state policy that requires 15 minutes of physical activity each day for students. No one is sure what this means, whether we’re to lead them in 15 minutes of jumping jacks, freeze tag, jogging in place. Very curious. Does this mean I now need to be Highly Qualified in PE as well as science? No clue.

We were forced to sit through an entire day’s worth of largely useless workshops. The main speaker droned on for 3 hours. Sadly, he spent only 3 minutes developing his last point, which was his only bit of practical advice, and I actually thought it might prove to be quite meaningful, but he rushed through it so quickly that I didn’t quite understand the implications or how to carry it out. Even more frustrating, nothing in our 4 sets of handouts addresses this last point. Oh well. The afternoon session was an exact repeat of our required science Professional Development last January ~ they even provided us the exact 50+ page handout, accompanied this time by a CD version as well. In essence, a complete waste of time.

The Ugly:

Coworker called today during 5 o’clock news to inform me that a local high school (directly across the street from my middle school!) tested positive for lead poisoning. Great. While this will provide an excellent local news article for my Water Quality unit, I’m not sure how I’m meant to hydrate my athletes after cross country practice.

Her other news was that our former student was on the news tonight ~ charged with 1^st degree murder. Apparently she lured a man to a group of people who ambushed the guy & killed him. I guess this happens all the time to teachers, but I thought I’d have another 5 years before I started reading about my beloved “thugs” and their consequences. My students are 12 & 13 years old … kids. They should be riding their bikes & winning dance trophies & playing video games, not sitting in jail awaiting a murder trial!!!

Nevertheless, I am choosing to be positive this year. This must be why they give us summers to recuperate. If I had to face disappointments & placate the bureaucracy for 12 months straight, I’m quite certain I’d quickly lose my desire to teach. Instead, each year I get a fresh start with a new group of kids, and I’m quite eager to assess how this year goes. I think one new goal for this year is to avoid toxic conversations. It’s so easy to get caught up in negativity, and it’s so suffocating. I’m sure I’ll need to vent at some point, and I’ll choose my audience wisely, but I don’t want to get sucked into the downward spiral of discontentedness that seems to surround so many experienced teachers.

In fact, I don’t even want to talk about my class list with 7^th grade teachers; I remember one who came into my room last year & saw my students’ names on desks & proceeded to give me her evaluation of every kid she’d taught. I know she meant well, but these kids deserve a clean slate and a new chance. People change. Kids mature. I want to spend more time investing in them this year, instead of focusing so much on my own personal survival. I have high hopes for this year, even if today wasn’t the greatest back-to-school party.