Today was a better day. The Grade 9 Xanders seemed more goofy and less hostile. The new crop of 11 Faiths seemed less hard-assed and intimidating. The 11 Willows worked hard and had lots of lively conversation – so much so, that I changed the “me write on the board” model for a “you write on the board” model, which worked well. I still don’t have a sweet clue what I should be up to with the 9 Xanders, but I hope to gather my slack ass tomorrow and actually ask Theresa or Sam about it. So I would say that it’s going well, or at least, better.

I was plagued by thoughts of July this morning: thinking of conversations about granola bars, thinking of doing the assignment I set for my classes today. July seems a lot easier in retrospect. Get up, get on the train, do the readings, chat, write, revise, research, laugh, dance, done.

But tonight I went on a bike ride with my family instead of planning to take a Gravol. Exercise as a tiring agent – think of it! Everything is moving forward. Everything is going as planned.

Blake is really developing a sense of when I leave for the day, i.e. he knows that if I’m wearing my classroom keys around my neck, I’m going to work. Today when I came home in the middle of dinner, he pointed at me and said sternly, “Mommy, keys, take ‘em off!” I couldn’t help saluting as I jumped to comply.

I’m having real trouble adjusting to my teaching schedule. Last semester I taught 3 in a row, which was gruelling but carried the added bonus of my day being over in less than 4 hours. (Except for planning, extra help, calling home, caf duty, covering other teachers’ absences, etc.) Now I teach two, I go to lunch, and I can’t summon the energy for my last class. I dread it. I haven’t been on-time once, so you know that I’m avoiding it.

Of course, thanks to my fantastic new schedule (Rocketbride’s too comfortable with her own room. Let’s switch her to the portable for her first class and leave her in her room for her second period!) it’s almost impossible for me to be on-time for 2 out of 3 courses. I fight through knots of students, liberally applying ye olde elbow along with any authority I can muster, and I’m still deadlocked. I hate it. Maybe I should ask Grace to switch me out to the portable period 2. It would suck rocks, but at least I wouldn’t have to hustle quite so much.

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- Rocketbride's adventure of 9/07/2005 08:12:00 p.m.