| | Okay, so I haven't been as faithful updating this thing over the summer as I thought. No excuses, really, just a general malaise. (That's a vague feeling of ill-being for all of you non-English teachers out there.) No promises of more frequent updates though. I just can't guarantee anything at this point. Summer school has been interesting. As I've told some of you, I am teaching a combined English 11/12 class. Here's what went down: Ron offered me two different positions. He offered me a two hour lead teacher slot that would include some possible tutoring for 504 and IEP students. He then offered me the English 11/12 spot that had a "final" class list of 27. As you know, I was not inclined to teach, as a class that size in summer school could be disastrous. But, before I could answer, Ron also explained that 1) he didn't know what he was going to do if I didn't teach English, as they had four teachers apply (myself included) and were offering four classes (two sections of English 9, one section of English 10, and one section of English 11/12), and 2) if I didn't teach English he wouldn't have a job at all for Dave, the other lead teacher from the last few years, because they were not offering any social studies classes. Sigh. Yep, I'm a sucker. It's like Ron knew I was a nice guy and would do the right thing. I accepted the job for English 11/12. After I hung up the phone, though, I thought to myself, "What the hell have I just agreed to do?" Anywho, it hasn't been nearly as bad as it could have been. The kids are actually pretty good, with only minor personality conflicts so far. I lucked out. We have completed the first 10 days, with only 6 remaining (and then the 2 make-up days). I did have two students added the first day and another added the third day (I think these were kids who couldn't get their first choice of class, so they got shuffled to mine), sending my total to the maximum of 30 - the most of any teacher doing summer school. Luckily, I've had two kids who were no-shows since day one, and, two days ago, another went over the amount of time he could make up (something about a DUI and still being drunk when it came time to go to class). I'm hoping for a strong finish. Most of my days the last two weeks have been filled with teaching (8-12), napping (1-2), and grading and planning (whenever I can motivate myself to do it, but no less than 1-2 hours a day). I honestly can't wait until summer school is over so I have the freedom to stay up late, sleep in, and do whatever I want. My only must-see TV shows of the summer have been Wipeout and Tosh.0. Both are hilarious in their own way. I've also watched a lot of bad movies on cable and HBO On-Demand. Kill me now. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a great mystery. I recommend it. Book club picked The Story of Edgar Sawtelle for its next book (my recommendations were Sawtelle, Drood and The Night I First Believed). I haven't started Sawtelle yet, but maybe this weekend. I've been on a comic book kick recently. I've been buying trades and hardbacks of some of my favorite storylines. Sure, I have most of the issues as originally purchased, but the trades make them much more accessible. For those of you so inclined, I'd recommend Kevin Smith's Daredevil run (Guardian Angel), Frank Miller's second run on Daredevil (Born Again) and Grant Morrison's epic run on the New X-Men. Well worth the price. I had lunch with Roberta and Gwyn today. It turned into a 3 hour gab fest that I thoroughly enjoyed. Joey Chang's in Hilliard is a great place with great food. It's high-end Chinese/Thai food with a decent price. I'd give it 4 stars (out of 5) for food, atmosphere, service and cleanliness. No new music recently. I've been spinning a lot of Weezer and The Honorary Title the last few weeks. With a dash of Brand New on the side. My sister got married in late May (her third). I have high hopes for her latest, for the sake of her kids and his. If you are registered to vote in SWCS, we could use your vote this August. As of now, sports, clubs (including Student Council), high school busing and other stuff has been cut for next year. We have a 4 year levy on the ballot. (We are hoping the four years will be enough until the state gets its head out of the sand and realizes school funding needs an overhaul, not a same-as-always policy.) I would personally appreciate your support. If you want more info, contact me. I guess that's about it. Take care of yourselves and one another. Until next time... |
