Teaching is filled with a million different jobs. I wish it were just teaching class and grading a few quizzes. On top of these tasks, I have Student Council plans to make which includes a dance, stocking concessions, officer elections, candy gram planning and Grandparent’s Day. This is just the activities for September.
While I do this, I have to think about that one parent I have to call and the reading levels I have to send home. This week I also sorted through about seventy parent email address. I had to send an email and record who actually responded. I also had to sort through the twenty email addresses that returned incorrect. Are they incorrect? Was it penmanship or my error in writing it down? Is it just one of those addresses that gets blocked by the school’s system? Next week, I will have to contact all these people in some way. If I don’t, I could have angry parents thinking I am ignoring them.
I also had union work that required a quick drive over to pick up materials. Materials, I might add, that will sit on every union member’s counter for a few weeks before most of us will just pitch the crap. Still, I got to drive across town and sort through all the members to find my members. After my drive, I got to then pass at all the unwanted materials, Next week, I will get to use one of my fifty minute prep period and get everyone’s John Hancock on another seemingly useless form.
I completed my goals also. This was again proven a waste of time. Although it took an hour spread out over seven school days to write the goals, it took my boss less than five minutes to read them in front of me and okay them without much more than a grunt. Now, I have three months to anticipate her spontaneous visit to my room.
I have been working on these current tasks for over a week, never finishing anything completely. Today I actually finished a lot of them. I felt a weight lift from my shoulders about lunch time. I thought I was as caught up as I could be. THEN my sixty plus 8th graders all turned in their 500 word essays. In fact, almost every single student turned it in on time. This was partially because of the threat of detentions, emails to counselors, and concerned parents that had to be involved thanks to more of my work. What a reward! I can’t wait! Holiday Weekend, four school days before grades are due. Lucky me!
Some days I go to school; it is a great time, the best work I have ever had the pleasure of doing. Other days I go to work; this week with all these various tasks started and completed, I have been at work. I hope I get to go to school next week. TGIF
Mishaps Today 