done
I have finished. . .and. . .I am done. The last 6 weeks ... all the long years of them ... are now over, finished, completed and done! I taught English 1, the entire freshmen English year, in 6 short/l o n g weeks. It was just THAT crazy. I had 30 Asian students that ranged from, "I can say, 'meeseez my-yuh'" to students who were passionate fanatical study-aholics. Grammar, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, poetry, vocabulary (60 words per week), writing, and Romeo and Juliet all in 6 weeks, four hours a day, 5 days a week...of course that didn't "count" prep and grading time which every teacher knows is actually 'invisible' time anyway. The snap-shots of faces race across the screen of my mind. I am sure I learned so much more than they did!!! When a whirlwind has spun you around and dropped you somewhere east of Oz and west of Kansas I guess it takes a minute or so to catch your breath and get your bearings.
then
In the middle of the 6 weeks I was told that I was a budget cut. I only taught part time during the regular school year, so a teacher who only teaches 8th and 9th period is easy to trim from the budget. It is actually fine with me -- I will tutor instead and I find I love to do that . NO grading papers (dance dance) NO preping work (dance dance) NO teacher's meeting at the end of tiring days (taptap dance dance). I will miss the students. And I must go back to say good-bye to teachers that have become friends. That will feel so odd. I find that I feel resistance growing. I mean I want to say good-bye, I just don't want to live through the moments of saying good-bye. It is not a big deal I suppose...the resistance is like crunched up tin foil inside of me anyway.
then
In the middle of the 6 weeks I was told that I was a budget cut. I only taught part time during the regular school year, so a teacher who only teaches 8th and 9th period is easy to trim from the budget. It is actually fine with me -- I will tutor instead and I find I love to do that . NO grading papers (dance dance) NO preping work (dance dance) NO teacher's meeting at the end of tiring days (taptap dance dance). I will miss the students. And I must go back to say good-bye to teachers that have become friends. That will feel so odd. I find that I feel resistance growing. I mean I want to say good-bye, I just don't want to live through the moments of saying good-bye. It is not a big deal I suppose...the resistance is like crunched up tin foil inside of me anyway.
WOW; big changes!
ReplyDeleteso maybe you will have more time to write now?
ReplyDeleteYeah for you! "The times they are a changin' " So said Bob Dylan years ago, and still applicable today.
ReplyDeleteTutoring is a VERY good gig. When I tutored after school, I made more than my teaching job. And I set my own hours as well.
I hope you are enjoying your summer, and that you all are well. I start back in a couple of weeks. I really enjoy the summer at home doing work around here. Hopefully in the near future I will be able to have my Etsy business take over my need to work at the school system!