I apologize, students, for my lack of enthusiasm that is sure to show as the week progresses.

I try to remain even tempered as a teacher.  No matter what’s on my mind outside of work I make sure to be calm in front of my classes.  If I’m upset (not of their doing) they do not know.  If I’m super happy then I try to contain myself.  For the remainder of this week, with all my might, I will do my best to act like a teacher who is totally focused and is not only thinking about going home for the holidays.

Maybe I shouldn’t have started my countdown so early…I cannot wait…8 more days!!!

But, all in all, I’d have to say I don’t hate teaching. Sometimes I even look forward to it.

Don’t judge me! Just because I don’t particularly like it, doesn’t mean that I don’t give it my all every day.

Tonight, I baked a freakin’ leche flan for the culinary class I teach on Fridays, just to prove a point to my kids that the Spanish had a huge influence on Philippine culture. I’ve never made leche flan before tonight.

If that’s not passion for doing the best that you can do for the kids, then I don’t know what is.

1. Allowing the Halloween spirit infiltrate my lesson.

It was Friday, a review and quiz day. Rather than using my default green background on the keynote, I used orange. And rather than merely putting up review questions on the board that our class could try and discuss, I interspersed screen shots of scary movies…

Take, for example:

I let the image sit on the screen for a mere 3 or 4 seconds, acting as if I was unaware, before I moved onto the next slide. Got a few students with it. Lovely.

2. Harnessing the power of the projector to enhance the effects of one scary story.

More specifically, my FAVORITE scary story. I started the quiz ten minutes earlier than normal, so that I could finish class with a 10 minute story. Shut off the lights, shut the blinds, and lit a candle to set the ambiance. I set the projector to off with my remote (meaning, I could instantly turn it back on with remote). Even the most misbehaving of students gave full attention as I went through the tale. Seconds after I hit the story’s climax, in a completely dark room, I let this image unsuspectingly pop onto the screen:

My projector covers the entire height of the whiteboard. This image was huge. And this time, I got em’ ALL. Students screamed. I’m talking, legit screaming… the type you hear at the scariest moments of the scariest of scary movies. Well, it wasn’t THAT amazing, but it definitely brought a smile to this teachers face. It definitely beat showing a video and passing out candy like other colleagues had done.

3. My costume.

My roommate awoke and sent a groggy ‘good morning’ my way. “Like my costume?” I asked with enthusiasm. “Uhhh, you’re just you… but with a backwards cap on.” Most of my non-teacher friends wouldn’t understand, but this could possibly be my FAV costume of all time – and all I did was dress as myself. You see, as a teacher, you’re on display EVERY DAY. Students grow accustomed to your look, your style. They notice any sort change… a new pair of shoes, a new tie, new hairstyle, etc. I ALWAYS wear glasses to school. On this day, I took em off and wore what any of my male students would wear on a typical day. Baggy jeans, t-shirt, a’s cap, nike’s, a hoodie halfway zipped with the string tied. To complete the outfit, I threw on a black jansport, and some unconnected ipod headphones.

Got EVERYONE! Teachers, staff, students… I encountered more scenarios I can count on my fingers where folks REALLY DID mistake me as a student.

One student’s depiction:

I know it’s a week late, but Happy Halloween! Find ways to make this job fun! It’s there!

Though I maintain this year’s schedule is far more difficult than last, not everything’s turned for worse. One difference is… I’VE GOT HELP NOW!

Three things:

1. An Algebra Tutor
Recently graduated from college, and helps out in ALL THREE of my algebra classes. We’re developing a routine where he pulls out 3-4 students per day to provide my remedial students the support they need. The smaller the group, the more attention each student receives. Since we’re not able to make this happen in the normal classroom, it’s HUGE that students get this support. It’s essentially the private tutor privileged students get – but for MY students. Big time help.

2. A TA
About 5 ex-students turned seniors approached me at the beginning of the year inquiring to be my TA. I chose 1 from that pool, and that 1 has been colossal for me. She comes in during 2nd period, and takes care of ALL GRADING DUTIES aside from assessments. It’s amazing. After the period is done, we’ll check in… the once huge stack of assignments is no longer… and I’ll ask “Did you really grade all that?” She always answers with a calm “Yeah.” “Really, even left feedback, comments, and marked incorrect answers!?” Another calm “Yeah.” I’ll occasionally check, and it’s no lie. ALL OF IT… DONE. Honestly, this probably saves me about an hour per day (5 hours per week… ~25 hours per month)…. COLOSSAL.

3. Learning to Delegate
Students are willing and able! Let me repeat, students are WILLING AND ABLE! It seems any task I find tedious is a task students enthuse over… handing back papers, passing out materials, walking the attendance back to the office, putting things in their proper place, tidying up the classroom, etc, etc. I’m only beginning to harness the immense power behind this. Two other things I’ve brainstormed delegating: a great note-taker who can take notes for those absent, and an organized student who can keep a running record of assigned work. The best thing about it – gives a greater sense of purpose to students doing the task, especially those who loathe mathematics.

Teaching does not necessarily mean you MUST do it all. Delegate, facilate… finding ways to make it easier for you – in a way, it also makes it easier for them.

Today I took on the role of chaperone as ~40 of our high school seniors left the south Bronx to go apple picking. Yes, apple picking. Apparently it’s an east coast thing…

While planning for the trip my students all decided that they did not want to pay more than $10 to go apple picking. Upon arrival at the orchard they were each given a bag with a carrying capacity of 6 decent sized apples (lame, i know). The orchard lady wanted to charge $20 each to get a larger bag… So, being the resourceful south Bronx youth that they are, my students brought out their backpacks, bags and big sweaters and picked all the apples they could carry. Ethical? Not so much. Funny? Entirely. Did I condone it? Let’s just say the orchard isn’t empty, so no big deal. As one can imagine plucking fruit from a tree isn’t so easy for someone of my stature. Thankfully my students were generous enough to help a teacher out and I came home with half a bushel of hand picked apples.

The bus ride back was a trip down memory lane. I don’t know how my students have become so educated in jams from my youth (and even before my time!) but they were belting out old songs like nobody’s business. Some surprising serenades included: Too Close by Next, Candy Rain by Soul for Real, and my personal favorite Weak by SWV.

I enjoyed interacting with my students outside of school and seeing them in their own clothes (rather than in uniform). My students can totally be pains, but they really are sweethearts when it comes down to it.

Prep in the morning is a blessing.  It allows me to get in my groove for the day.  Since I usually hide out in the 12th grade team office, I use my prep time to grade, plan, and relax to my Lauryn Hill Pandora station.

I’ve done what I feel like doing for today’s prep period, I’ve got a cool activity planned for class (which starts in 10 minutes), and thanks to Yom Kippur I don’t have school tomorrow.  Today will be a good day

Today, I had no trouble figuring it out

As I sat in the sky lit atrium at 5:45pm a student pulled up a chair next to me. For the following ~25 minutes we spoke about my class, her college aspirations, her boyfriend, her high school experience and a little bit about me. What struck me most was the ease at which she approached me and the honesty in our conversation. I walked away feeling so fulfilled that I got to know one of my students better.

Being a first year teacher, I feel the need to be validated every once in a while; I’m only human. I mean, I have no idea what the heck I’m doing half the time or if my students are actually absorbing anything. But, today when this student gave me a genuine compliment about enjoying my class I was on top of the world.

Ah, the offseason. Summertime! Virtually all of my teacher friends decided to take the entire offseason off. One teacher friend took a 4 week vacation to Europe. Two friends spent time in Mexico. Another visited Michigan.

Me? I kept teaching. Why? For one thing, I didn’t feel as though funds were good enough to splurge on a crazy vacation. Another thing is I really don’t know how to make use of all that free time! 3 whole months!?

Summer Algebra Academy ended last Friday. OUSD’s 08-09 schoolyear does not begin until August 20. Days free of work, of lesson plans, of students, of dress shirts and slacks began this past weekend. Unobligated relaxation. One perk teachers enjoy is the option of work-free summers. Though I postponed and clipped mine down to three and a half weeks in August, I’m now relishing it for all it’s worth.