With the first two weeks down, I am amazed at how much easier this is the second time around. I still tired very easily, but I think I am doing a much better job of establishing myself this year and preparing them for what is to come. I also feel like I have control of the class, unlike last year. We practice procedures over and over so that all of my expectations of the class are very clear, last year, I had expectations, but too often they would learn them by not meeting them and that's not okay.
As we've stepped into review, I find myself presenting the information in a much more logical and understandable manner. More of my kids are getting it faster. Between their grown minds and my growth as a teacher, we're moving leaps and bounds faster than last year!
Though, nothing is ever certain, and my class list that was finally complete after the first week, has been changed again for the third week. Silly me, in a blind moment, had written out my kids in my grade book...in ink. Now, I will not be getting the twins when they arrive, I will be getting Sophia because she is new and having problems in the other class. Me getting Sophia had been the original plan, but the mother didn't want to switch her (so by original, I mean original after it was decided switches had to me made) to my class and let Emily get the twins. Now that there are problems, the mom has requested the switch, and the twins still aren't back from the States, so they won't get jerked around.
Speaking of Emily, last night, I went to the bus station at 10 to 6 to meet her. As I walked up, the guards were closing and locking the door. I asked if the station was closed. The man said, “No.” I said, “Then why are you closing the door?” The man said, “We're closing the door.” I stood there a moment, until the man said, “What do you need?” I said, “I'm meeting a friend on the bus.” He said, “The bus will not come until 7 today.” I said, “So, should I wait on the other side?” He said, “No, the bus won't come until 7.”
Around this time Cathy came up and she got the same info I did, but another man told us the bus comes between 6 and 6:30, so just to make sure, we waited around. At about 6:40, a taxi driver came up and said that he had a friend on the bus and the bus was just no leaving San Pedro. It would get in around 9:30. Fantastic. Poor Emily.
I was exhausted, and knew Cathy would pick her up. I told Cathy if she needed anything to call me or stop by the house (because we both knew my phone as been out of sorts for the last two days) and I went home to bed. I simply hoped that Emily made it and I would see her at the park at 7:45 when I met all the teachers to take them to the breakfast at Casa de Cafe, a hotel that always offers the new teachers a free breakfast at the start of the year as a “welcome to town” and a “when you're family and friends visit, they should stay with us!”
She was there and after the breakfast we took off on a quick tour and then went up to the school to hash out some school things. She's taking on Math, I'm taking out Science, and we're taking the other's class first right after recess. So I'll call her kids in and bring them to my room for class, then we'll switch back. We talked a lot about standard problems, parents, and theories of teaching. It's still shaping up to be a good year.
Last Friday, I saw my student, Juan, who didn't make it back to Mayatan this year. It was a tad awkward, but I got a hug out of him, asked him when school started and told him if he needed anything to please let me know. Today, I saw his father and told him the same things.
No comments:
Post a Comment