Round 2

Alright. This gig is officially more than halfway over. I was back at work today (no students, just teachers- making the whole situation deceptively pleasant). With just one day to get everything in order, the day was rushed but also fairly productive. I hardly did anything over the break to prepare for this semester and was able to have several days of absolutely no stress and complete enjoyment of the all the other parts of my life which have been neglected for the past several months.

This semester's lineup: 1st period World History with 32 students, 2nd period planning, tardy table duty with a new set of teachers (more encouragement/gossip time!), 3rd period US History with 24 students, and 4th period US History with 23 students. My schedule and student lists were changing through the end of the day today, so all of this may not be permanent. I am floating again, despite the fact that several new classrooms were opened just before the break. Most of my teacher workday was devoted to updating my posters so I can maintain my title of "Model Cart Teacher."

I am nervous/excited about my first time teaching US History. If you know me, you know American History is my favorite... not to mention that it is an 11th grade course, which generally means less behavior problems than 9th and 10th. (by 11th grade, the students that really don't want to be there are old enough to drop out) Also, the class sizes are on the lower side. It would be fabulous to keep those in the low 20s. The downside is that US History is a "high stakes" class because it is tested state-wide and it comes with a series of benchmark pre-tests and post-tests. And, unique to Avondale, the high-stakes class teachers are required to create and present 6 presentations about the results, preparation, and improvement plans for all of these benchmark tests. (a.k.a. more work which really does nothing to help the students but everything to stress out and frustrate a teacher)

Ready or not, the students come tomorrow. I feel completely unprepared, especially since I haven't been living in my house for the past week (new floors- that's another whole story). Whatever happens tomorrow, I know that the Lord has faithfully carried me through 18 weeks and that He is more than able to get me through 18 more.