Frustration

In the past couple weeks, the frustration with my career choice has grown. I have been telling myself that it goes in cycles, not to worry, see it through to the other side, but honestly it is beginning to take a toll.

I have been more tired the lat few weeks than I can ever remember being. By the end of the work day I am ready for a nap, at least mentally. As I sit here writing this I can feel myself wanting to nod off. Why? What is it about this year that is so much different than the years before?

I have just learned in the past two weeks that I will be teaching AP Economics in the fall. This is not the happiest news ever, a little stressful, but the tired feelings started even before that. Little things are beginning to really bug me. I don't have the tolerance for things. I am, thankfully, keeping myself in check, but internally and after I have done what needs to be done I am not happy about it and am not being nice about it.

I love teaching, I really do. I am wondering if I am teaching anymore.

East Coast Living

We are now almost half way through the second semester of the school year. It is hard to believe that we have been here on the east coast 8 months already. I believe we have all been adjusting fairly well. That isn't saying we haven't had our rough spots, but that is to be expected. We also know that we aren't all going to adjust at the same rate and it isn't going to happen right away. In fact, we have heard it can actually take a year to adjust to a new location. I can see how that is possible.

Since being in the new area we have really tried to get out and explore things more that we had in the past. I think the area lends itself to getting out and about more. There is so much more to do here, the weather is more tolerable, and there are so many things that are free.

I think the hardest adjustment has been my school schedule. It has a tremendous impact on things outside of school. How early I need to get to bed, when I begin to get tired, and thus how much time I have in the late evenings. This is time the Ker and I are use to being able to spend together. We are trying to adjust ourselves. She is a late night person and I am ok with that. In fact, I tend to be too, which makes us compatible, but a late night schedule is not compatible with an early morning work schedule.

We are making the necessary adjustments. We have purchased bicycles and a bike carrier for the Rav so that we can begin biking along the Potomac as the weather improves.

Life has changed, some, but we have seen improvements and not regression. We have, on several occasions, asked if we still think it was a good move. Each time the answer has been yes. 

The State of the Teacher

How many people actually stop and think about everything a teacher does, or tries to get done in a day? I would assume, not many.

There are days, few though, in which I have little more to do than teach the 120 plus students that I am charged with teaching. This in itself is a monumental task. I have 120 plus individuals, with independently thinking brains, independent experiences, ideals, morals, beliefs, and of course opinions. For each of these 120 individuals I have to be prepared to redirect them, individually assess them, individual instruct them, and be able to ascertain if they have had a bad day, a good day, a change in their behavior, the appearance, has there been any outside the classroom experience that will impact their classroom behavior or there responses to their peers. All of this while keeping anything I learn in private and never being straight forward in asking the student if their is an issue and never crossing the line to show an extreme personal interest so as to not appear to be unethical or immoral myself.

Have I mentioned the stress?

As if this isn't enough, there are those days in which actual teaching takes the minimal amount of time of the day and all of the other "stuff" takes up the majority of my time. There are days in which the emails from parents are waiting when I turn on my school computer. Emails requesting that their child be allowed to turn in an assignment late. Even though the student had been aware of the due date for the previous three months. Asking that their child not be held accountable for the assignment in the exact format that everyone else is and in the next breath asking me why it is taking so long to get the grades to them. I am not preparing their child for the real word if I am not allowed to hold them accountable to the requirements set out. I have due dates to meet, the students have due dates to meet, I am expected to be flexible for the students, but I am not given the same amount of flexibility because I am in the real world side of education. So again I ask, if I cannot hold the student accountable, how is it that I am preparing them for the real world?

Have I mentioned the stress?

Meetings, meetings, and more meeting. Paperwork, planning, grading, and time constraints. What do all of these have in common? The teacher. While we, in theory, have time to plan and grade, in practice that time is eaten up in meetings, emails, telephone calls, meetings, forced planning with others that doesn't truly translate into anything you will use in the classroom, meetings, and of course at some point in there you would really like to have time to spend with your own family and sleep.

Have I mentioned stress?

In the perfect world, a teacher gets to specialize, or become and expert in what they are teaching. In the nine years that I have been teaching I have now taught 10 subjects. I have just learned that I will be teaching another subject next year. So, this time next year, after 10 years of teaching I will be able to say I have taught 11 subjects. I am perpetually in a state of first year teacher mode. Does anyone understand the stress that comes with trying to know the subject before you begin teaching the subject, when you aren't teaching the subject for more than one year at a time? Or teaching more than one subject at the same time, in the same state of mind that you are trying to learn it before you teach it?

Have I mentioned stress?

I love teaching, I really do. TEACHING! I am paying for that by dealing with the paperwork, the meetings, the phones calls, the emails, the lack of sleep, the feeling of not fully knowing my subject, and the limited amount of time I seem to get to spend with my family.

Have I mentions the STRESS?

A New Subject to Teach

It seems that the numbers are in and I am going to be teaching AP Economics in the fall. Yippee! Please note the tone of sarcasm in my voice.

I am not a trained economist, not even close. I had said, in passing that yeah I can teach it, not that yeah I wanted to teach it. UGH! Trying to be a team player, but honestly, I am not sure how I am going to be able to do this.

Settling in

We are finally settling in, I think.

The extra money from my retirement account has arrived and we have been able to catch up on bills and purchase many of the things we have been putting off, but need. Being able to feel relaxed about our money issues, makes the move feel more settling and right.

In 10 days we will head to RI for our first family Thanksgiving. It isn't our first Thanksgiving, but it will be the first time that we will be in the company of so much family for the holidays.

We have made it through the first nine weeks of the school year here and the holidays are fast approaching. We are home.

The First Nine Weeks is Over

The first nine weeks at my new school is coming to a close. Today and tomorrow are teacher work days, days we are to use to finish up grading, input grades, and prep for the next nine weeks. I am taking advantage of today, here in my classroom, to get things organized a little better, finish grades, and begin to prep for the next nine weeks.

This past week I have begun to feel more at ease with myself and where I am. It has taken a little while for me to feel more at home. The stress of money and settling in here has been tough, but I am finally feeling like I am where I am suppose to be.

The hurricane came in north of us, thankfully. I feel for those who were hit in the New Jersey and New York areas. It has to be tough for them. I can't begin to imagine what it is like. I think being here has helped us realize that there are a few things we need to make sure we get, for the just in case. A generator is something that will come in handy if the light happen to go out and from what we have heard and seen, it is very possible.

We have been able to get some of the things we have been needing, pay off/catch up with the bills we have had to neglect in order to stay caught up on other things, and we are more relaxed here than we have been.

I don't know what is ahead of us, by I feel more comfortable about facing it than I have in a long while.

A good day ends with a visit to ER

Ker and I had planned to spend a few hours together, without kids yesterday. She had found this really cool National Park that has an awesome waterfall, so we chose that as our destination.

On the way up there I over shot the exit by one, not a big deal right? Just go to the next exit, turn around and get back on the interstate. HA!! That isn't what happens when the exit after the one you should have gotten off on is George Washington Parkway. Completely tree canopied, fall colors, and NO TURN AROUND AREAS in sight.

Not a problem. We aren't held to a time table when it is just the two of us. So we travel for a few miles and find another park, Turkey Run. I figured that there is bound to be a way to go back the way we came from the park.

We spent the next hour or so exploring the park. We got out of the car and hiked down to the Potomac River. It was an awesome view and we had a great time. The hile back up was rough, but we both enjoyed it. Still, we have a waterfall to go see.

Off to our original destination.

Great drive, awesome company, beautiful views. We spend another hour at the waterfall taking a variety of pictures. We are really enjoying our time together, we always do.

As we get ready to leave, literally. We are heading back to the parking lot, when another couple decides they need to go past us in the opposite direction. One things leads to another, Ker loses her balance and she falls. She hits the back side of her head against the rock wall as she falls. She doesn't pass out, but she does cut the back of her head some. We get back to the Visitor's Center and they call for the park EMT. The place an ice pack on it and check her out.

Fast forward 6 hours later and Ker isn't doing so well any longer. She is nauseous and has vomited. This is when the decision to go to the ER is made.

One CAT scan and xray later it is a definite concussion.

We had a great day together, even if it did end up with us in the ER together. It was a great day because it could have been worse. I am thankful that my day stayed a great day!