day's over!

As I've mentioned, this time of year is the very definition of "hectic."

Although my schedule at school is a bit more workable than in years past, I've still got two preps (science and pre-AP science) and coaching duties both during and after school until around the middle of March. This means that my schedule goes something like this - get up around 5:30, attend to personal hygiene and dress, make coffee, pack lunch, feed dogs (take out garbage on garbage days), drive to work (takes about 50 minutes now), check box and sign in, open room and turn on computer, open any files to be used in the day's lessons, work on lesson planning, grading, filing, notes home, or other "teacher stuff" not related to instruction, teach classes until 3:45, coach football (or basketball, as the case may be) until ~5:45, wait for kids to call home and leave, drive home (arrive home at about 7:00 pm), eat (my darling bride has been making sure I have a hot meal when I get home! Is she AWESOME, or what?!!!!), unpack my gym bag from the day, repack the gym bag for tomorrow, make lunch (I make a salad for lunch - "packing it" entails loading a bag with silverware, napkin, salad dressing, and a breakfast bar), shower, and get ready for bed at or around 10:00. If I get to spend some time with Kim, it's a welcome bonus! Anyway, that's how days go for the next 6 months or so and when it's over at the end of basketball season, I'm usually pretty exhausted!

As I said, though, my schedule is much better this year than either of the last two. The year before last, I only had one prep, but I was only given one conference period every other day. I thought I was going to go crazy trying to keep up! Last year, I only had one conference period again, but we went from an 8-period block schedule to a 10-period schedule (from 90 minute classes to 70 minute classes), which meant that my one conference period shrank as well. Not only that, but I had two preps last year (science AND a study skills class), which just about drove me up the wall! I told the Principal that if it wasn't changed this year, the next time he saw me in his office I'd have a transfer authorization in my hand and he could start looking for a new science teacher! I guess he took me seriously. This year's schedule is MUCH better!

I feel for the other 7th-grade science teacher, though. Except for the conference period dilema, she's in the same boat I was in last year! She's got two preps (they gave her a speech class) and all of the honors kids are with me, which means that she's got the middle-of-the-road kids and lower for the most part. I know it may not sound objective, but having kids who are less gifted academically really wears on you after awhile, especially when there's no respite from one period to the next. You start to wonder if you're just not doing your job or if there's something you COULD be doing differently that you just haven't figured out yet. It's VERY frustrating! I know - I was there last year! What's worse in her case is the "inclusion" load. Last year I thought I had it bad! Out of about 45 inclusion kids, I had about 30 of them. Inclusion kids, for those of you who do not know, are kids with Individualized Education Plans which call for modifications to their instruction. An inclusion teacher will come in to assist with them, but, depending upon who else is in the class, designing instruction to meet the needs of ALL students in the room can be a daunting challenge! This year, the split of the inclusion load is even more lopsided than it was last year. I've got about 8 or so altogether and she's got the remainder - about 35 or so if I had to guess. Granted, with two honors classes out of 6 science sections I'm teaching, there's not a great opportunity to spread the wealth, but I have a hard time believing that it couldn't be spread out a little better than that. Oh well - I'm not going to complain! This year's awesome so far and it just keeps getting better, praise God!

Well, I've got to get to bed! 5:30 comes pretty early! - Dan