Semi-Wordless Wednesday: School Critter

This morning as I rang the buzzer to get into school (I got there so early the doors were not yet unlocked and the principal was the only one there) this is what I saw:

The principal was not worried about it since these things eat other bugs.  I was freaked because it was almost as big as the palm of my hand.

This afternoon as I left the school, it was still there.

Tomorrow is the first day of class for the students.  I have had to do so much to get my room and my curriculum ready, that I have not really done much to get ready for the actual teaching... Hope all goes well!

Hi, my name is _____

The assistant principal at my school told me and the other two teachers who were there setting up for school the first name of a new student.

Ms Laura*

It makes me really wonder about parenthood.  It makes me wonder about why you would name your child something like this.  It makes me kind of understand why some children have issues.

It makes me think of Janet Jackson.  Ms Jackson, if you're nasty.

It makes me wonder if I have her in my class and if I will be able to say her name each day with a straight face.

* Name has been changed to protect those who did not name themselves, but it is still Ms ______.  Including the capital letters and the space.  What?!?!?

Teaching practice

One way that I am prepping to get back into teacher mode is through teaching something other than social studies.

Over the course of the past week, I have been trying to help my boyfriend learn how to use a smartphone.  He has had an ancient phone since 2000 and has questions about the phone that I had never imagined.

Going to the store with him to buy the phone was really trying on the patience.  He was so lost when it came to the features he wanted and to what the phones could do.  He also wanted to have an earpiece that only had one earplug.  I tried to explain to him that so many people use the phones for music that they don't make the ones with one ear anymore.

He didn't believe me.

He has come a long way in a week.

He actually uses the phone for some internet searches.  And is even using the Dropbox on his phone to be able to send documents right away to any work-related people.

He is still annoyed, like many of us, that the phone comes with so many apps that cannot be erased off the phone.  He worries that it is sucking up too much memory and will make his phone run slower.

It has all been a lesson to help me get back into the mode of working with people who do not understand the content and may have no prior knowledge to use to help learn, let alone master, a topic.

It has been trying, yet has brought us closer together since I don't have to be the one to look up his email on my phone when we are on the go.  LOL!!

The stuff dreams are made of

I've started having the school dreams.  In the past, it has been just a few days before the start of school.  This time around it is over a week before school starts (Thursday after Labor Day).

Each time, the dreams are full of all the things I need to do and all of the teachers I have met so far.

I am excited to be starting at a new school in a new state and am glad the content is somewhat similar to some courses I have taught before.

I am also very thankful for this summer.  Not only because I made this move toward the end of the summer, but because it was, literally, the longest summer break I have ever had.  My St. Louis school ended before Memorial Day in May and I don't start here until this coming week.  It is the first time I have had a full three month break to rejuvenate.

I do feel somewhat more refreshed than I ever have in all my years of teaching, but now I have a lot to do to get ready for the new year at the new school - mapping out the curriculum for the year and posting it outside the room, creating a syllabus for each class, learning the textbook, figuring out how to use the grading system, figuring out the new email, making sure I am truly cleared to teach.  Things that I normally would have been able to do throughout the summer or even before the summer began.

I also have supplies to buy (and figure out if the school has some supplies or if I have to buy them myself).  I also have a room to decorate (a lot of the other rooms I have seen so far are super decorated - I guess in part because it is a 6-10 school and in part because they are creative).  I am not a fuzzy, glittery decorator, but I feel like I at least need to put up a sign with my name and saying welcome, or something in addition to the few posters I was able to take from the old school.

This is just a snippet of the things on my mind as I free-write for this Stream of Consciousness Sunday. You can join in or read others' posts at Jana's Thinking Place.  Just write for five minutes on the prompt she has given, or on any other topic that you just want to let out of your system.

Saturday Quote: Repetition of affirmations

Saturday Quote: F.L.Y.