Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Vortex

I have been trapped for about a week now and the only reason I seem to be free at the moment is because I am actively blowing off papers that need to be graded. I haven't posted here in 10 days and I haven't touched my book in two weeks. I need some me time.

The beginning of this school year feels like the craziest one I have ever experienced in my whole career and frankly that's saying something. I had mentioned previously that I anticipated chaos on the first day of school and that was what we got. There was a reporting room for the students that wasn't remotely related to homeroom. There was no communication about when to hand out emergency cards and other forms. The id cards were not available, nor was the code of conduct. Hell, we still don't have those. It took two days to distribute lockers to students.

Without id cards, students are unable to obtain textbooks, so who knows what the math teachers are doing. I don't cleave to the textbook, but I do use it as a handy reference tool, so I don't have to make copies, which of course I am now doing. We have science classes with more than 40 students. We have kids showing up for the first time during week two. Who knows what they've been doing for the past week. I have had a new student or two every hour foe the past week. Those kids have missed two or three assignments in my class already.

I just had to vent. Thanks for listening

2 comments:

maryb said...

Yowzy! A well deserved rant. Hope things calm down a bit and you and your students get into the groove.

How school systems expect students (who are already distracted by the very fact they are teenagers) to focus and learn when the adults are so disorganized is beyond me.

Teacher Toni said...

You're right Mary. Most of the problems in our district are the results of the adults. The kids, I can handle them. Expect for a couple of demon seeds, I've had a pretty good relationship with the students. The adults are another story, however.