Preassessment: 2010-11
I saw Owl's post and decided it was time to do my own.
Three weeks in: one week of prep, and two weeks with kids.
I can confirm wholeheartedly the universal acclamation that year two is much much easier than year one. By the end of the second day, much less the second week, I was aware of the difference. Persona, management skills, awareness of organization: all are improved a thousandfold.
Classes are better than expected. English was the bane of my existence last year, but I am enjoying my kids very much this year. Juniors instead of freshmen, and intelligent, invested students to boot. A TON of grading, but I will manage. My theater kids are enjoying their classes, both actors and technicians, and I am already seeing the sort of group cohesiveness I want from the actors. 45 kids showed up for our first Drama Club meeting, and people are actually talking about the fall production... you know, as something to get excited about.
My tech class enrollment is up. I jumped from 30 students to 45. This, in a year when enrollment should have dipped: our population dropped from 4200 to 2500. So that is very positive.
Theater arts numbers are down significantly (~25%), but I did not teach theater arts last year. I am hoping for a strong showing in next year's numbers. Certainly, I am going to have word of mouth on my side at enrollment time.
I do find the length of the days fatiguing. I am teaching (on my feet, in complete GO mode) six hours a day. Planning period and lunch are about working my to do list. Typical after school commitment is between 3 and 4 hours each day.
I had resolved to try and create a situation in which I worked fewer hours. I had also resolved to get ahead of my class schedule by a couple of weeks so that I was not spending time treading water, creating resources at the last minute. So far, I haven't had the opportunity to pull ahead, but I have hope that I may get there once my fall production has closed in early November.
Amazingly, administration is much more accommodating this year. I wonder if they were just waiting to see if I was going to stick around to start responding to my requests. I am getting lamps for my stage lights, custodial aid in the theater, and (perhaps) $$ support from Title I funds.
The reality of a short-handed admin staff is that they really prefer if I just handle my issues myself. Bottom line, as long as I fulfill expectations, I get to run things the way I want to. This suits me very well. I foresee a future in which I become very satisfied with my little empire. Mwahahahahaha!!!
I have been granted permission to stage a fairly controversial production. It is a modern piece about ethnic conflict in the Bosnia/Serbia region and showcases a fairly graphic representation of life in a concentration camp. Also prevalent: bald statements about the tragedies born of hatred, and particularly Muslim/Christian conflict. Timely, and I feel playing to the right audience. Young people in Texas need to hear something besides the nonsense Tea Partiers are spouting.
My colleague and I are working fairly effectively together. At this point, she is handling almost all the administrative and clerical duties while I direct the fall show. During prep week, she confided to me that she has decided to step out of theater next year, preferring to teach her school day and then head home, and I cannot pretend disappointment. It seems likely that I will have a new colleague next year.
My apartment is amazing, and I am getting to yoga 3-4 times a week. I am always tired, but am starting to see beyond that to the positives in the job and I feel good about the time I am spending.
Hey, I even smile... at work.
I get to laugh at things, almost every day.
I am still working far too many hours, but I think there is hope, and help, ahead.
Keeping my fingers crossed that things keep moving in this direction.
Three weeks in: one week of prep, and two weeks with kids.
I can confirm wholeheartedly the universal acclamation that year two is much much easier than year one. By the end of the second day, much less the second week, I was aware of the difference. Persona, management skills, awareness of organization: all are improved a thousandfold.
Classes are better than expected. English was the bane of my existence last year, but I am enjoying my kids very much this year. Juniors instead of freshmen, and intelligent, invested students to boot. A TON of grading, but I will manage. My theater kids are enjoying their classes, both actors and technicians, and I am already seeing the sort of group cohesiveness I want from the actors. 45 kids showed up for our first Drama Club meeting, and people are actually talking about the fall production... you know, as something to get excited about.
My tech class enrollment is up. I jumped from 30 students to 45. This, in a year when enrollment should have dipped: our population dropped from 4200 to 2500. So that is very positive.
Theater arts numbers are down significantly (~25%), but I did not teach theater arts last year. I am hoping for a strong showing in next year's numbers. Certainly, I am going to have word of mouth on my side at enrollment time.
I do find the length of the days fatiguing. I am teaching (on my feet, in complete GO mode) six hours a day. Planning period and lunch are about working my to do list. Typical after school commitment is between 3 and 4 hours each day.
I had resolved to try and create a situation in which I worked fewer hours. I had also resolved to get ahead of my class schedule by a couple of weeks so that I was not spending time treading water, creating resources at the last minute. So far, I haven't had the opportunity to pull ahead, but I have hope that I may get there once my fall production has closed in early November.
Amazingly, administration is much more accommodating this year. I wonder if they were just waiting to see if I was going to stick around to start responding to my requests. I am getting lamps for my stage lights, custodial aid in the theater, and (perhaps) $$ support from Title I funds.
The reality of a short-handed admin staff is that they really prefer if I just handle my issues myself. Bottom line, as long as I fulfill expectations, I get to run things the way I want to. This suits me very well. I foresee a future in which I become very satisfied with my little empire. Mwahahahahaha!!!
I have been granted permission to stage a fairly controversial production. It is a modern piece about ethnic conflict in the Bosnia/Serbia region and showcases a fairly graphic representation of life in a concentration camp. Also prevalent: bald statements about the tragedies born of hatred, and particularly Muslim/Christian conflict. Timely, and I feel playing to the right audience. Young people in Texas need to hear something besides the nonsense Tea Partiers are spouting.
My colleague and I are working fairly effectively together. At this point, she is handling almost all the administrative and clerical duties while I direct the fall show. During prep week, she confided to me that she has decided to step out of theater next year, preferring to teach her school day and then head home, and I cannot pretend disappointment. It seems likely that I will have a new colleague next year.
My apartment is amazing, and I am getting to yoga 3-4 times a week. I am always tired, but am starting to see beyond that to the positives in the job and I feel good about the time I am spending.
Hey, I even smile... at work.
I get to laugh at things, almost every day.
I am still working far too many hours, but I think there is hope, and help, ahead.
Keeping my fingers crossed that things keep moving in this direction.