(no subject)
I haven't written in here in a long time partly because I've been busy and partly because well...okay it's mostly because I've been busy.
I think this year I've been better about the work but at the same time there have been MORE work to mark. I have three English classes so the amount of writing that I have to read through is pretty thick. If they have to write one essay, I have to mark 20-something essays.
(When I told my friend once about the amount of marking I have, he suggested that maybe I should work on my time management. I'm not sure why I got annoyed by his comment but I did. I think while my time management could be better, the piling up of marking is inevitable. You could certainly spend every night marking everything but that's generally the quickest way to burn-out. (I tried that so I would know.) I guess I'm also annoyed by the quick jump to "well it's a fault of yours" comment when I told him about the work I have to do.)
I still got a big pile but for the most part, I got enough done that I was able to offer one class a mark update. Today they had their culminating activity which brings more marking but at least that is done. Now the next two days will be review followed by the exam.
I think I worked pretty hard this year. Whether some of the work was necessary or unnecessary torture is questionable. I offered all my college kids an opportunity for proof reading for their independent studies unit. I expected maybe 3 kids will take me up on the offer...I ended up with the majority of both my classes doing so. So at one point I was proof reading 3-4 essays a day. Usually they would sit down with me and we'll go over the essay together. Then they'll fix it up and bring it to me again.
Part of me is glad I offered this extra help. My colleague however disagreed and suggested she never offered to proof read work for the students. My life certainly would have been less stressful if I didn't proof read anything for them...on the other hand, their marks are now higher because I have.
I'm really tired and I'm really looking forward to the end of the year. There are a few things I think I could work on, classroom management being one of them. I am certainly tired of dealing with unwilling teenagers who are surprised they are getting a low mark even though they never show up on time and never bring work in on time. It bothers me that some of them are so unaware that they don't realize they're at risk of failing (or are failing) even though they failed many of their tests/assignments. (And yes I do tell them. It's just...when I was in high school, I could totally predict my own grades. It's pretty much the grade I consistently get. If I consistently got 80s, then I am most likely getting 80s. If I consistently got 50s, then most likely I am getting 50s. It's not rocket science here. It's about being self-aware and paying attention.)
One of the things I did tell myself when I first started teaching is that I want to give this career a few years. If after a few years I'm still unsatisfied, then it may be time to look for other options. There are aspects of teaching I certainly enjoy (intelligent banter with students, creating lesson plans) but there are also things that bother me that I can't change (mice in the school being one of them) and things that are difficult to change (unruly disrespecting teenagers who are absolutely clueless but possess a high sense of entitlement). There are definitely perks (summer vacation? Benefits? <3) but also low points. I am also always stressed but the first few years are suppose to be stressful since a beginning teacher enter the profession with hardly any resources. Yes you have your colleague's resources to look at but you often find yourself modifying or creating a whole new set of resources for reasons ranging from "they stopped teaching that book" to "the kids in your class have different needs".
Anyhow, rant-a-roo and all that. I'm looking forward to this Thursday. Sure I'll have a lot of marking but I think I can really do it all by the 18th so I'm not as stressed out as last semester.
I think this year I've been better about the work but at the same time there have been MORE work to mark. I have three English classes so the amount of writing that I have to read through is pretty thick. If they have to write one essay, I have to mark 20-something essays.
(When I told my friend once about the amount of marking I have, he suggested that maybe I should work on my time management. I'm not sure why I got annoyed by his comment but I did. I think while my time management could be better, the piling up of marking is inevitable. You could certainly spend every night marking everything but that's generally the quickest way to burn-out. (I tried that so I would know.) I guess I'm also annoyed by the quick jump to "well it's a fault of yours" comment when I told him about the work I have to do.)
I still got a big pile but for the most part, I got enough done that I was able to offer one class a mark update. Today they had their culminating activity which brings more marking but at least that is done. Now the next two days will be review followed by the exam.
I think I worked pretty hard this year. Whether some of the work was necessary or unnecessary torture is questionable. I offered all my college kids an opportunity for proof reading for their independent studies unit. I expected maybe 3 kids will take me up on the offer...I ended up with the majority of both my classes doing so. So at one point I was proof reading 3-4 essays a day. Usually they would sit down with me and we'll go over the essay together. Then they'll fix it up and bring it to me again.
Part of me is glad I offered this extra help. My colleague however disagreed and suggested she never offered to proof read work for the students. My life certainly would have been less stressful if I didn't proof read anything for them...on the other hand, their marks are now higher because I have.
I'm really tired and I'm really looking forward to the end of the year. There are a few things I think I could work on, classroom management being one of them. I am certainly tired of dealing with unwilling teenagers who are surprised they are getting a low mark even though they never show up on time and never bring work in on time. It bothers me that some of them are so unaware that they don't realize they're at risk of failing (or are failing) even though they failed many of their tests/assignments. (And yes I do tell them. It's just...when I was in high school, I could totally predict my own grades. It's pretty much the grade I consistently get. If I consistently got 80s, then I am most likely getting 80s. If I consistently got 50s, then most likely I am getting 50s. It's not rocket science here. It's about being self-aware and paying attention.)
One of the things I did tell myself when I first started teaching is that I want to give this career a few years. If after a few years I'm still unsatisfied, then it may be time to look for other options. There are aspects of teaching I certainly enjoy (intelligent banter with students, creating lesson plans) but there are also things that bother me that I can't change (mice in the school being one of them) and things that are difficult to change (unruly disrespecting teenagers who are absolutely clueless but possess a high sense of entitlement). There are definitely perks (summer vacation? Benefits? <3) but also low points. I am also always stressed but the first few years are suppose to be stressful since a beginning teacher enter the profession with hardly any resources. Yes you have your colleague's resources to look at but you often find yourself modifying or creating a whole new set of resources for reasons ranging from "they stopped teaching that book" to "the kids in your class have different needs".
Anyhow, rant-a-roo and all that. I'm looking forward to this Thursday. Sure I'll have a lot of marking but I think I can really do it all by the 18th so I'm not as stressed out as last semester.