Did the title come off as sarcastic? It was supposed to be... well, maybe just a bit. Not totally though. Just a touch.
This new life and career pursuit has set off a couple nights of restless partial insomnia, keeping me dreaming about the students in my class having it out for me and the fact that I feel like I'm treading water some days. I feel that everyone else has everything under control and I'm doing this miserable job at times. Even though I know thats not the case (at least, not all the time), it still doesn't prevent the panic-stricken rush of trying to have photocopies together and ready to go and prepared before you enter the fray at 8:59:59a.m. Sure, I'm at the school an hour before the students walk into the classroom, but every minute counts, especially when you're dragging your ass to begin with.
I spent the day marking English exams with other teachers from the district. We did a district-wide, formative test assessment in all of the English classes in the district as a way of guaging where the students were, what needed work, and what teachers could focus on. They were marked collectively by our group as a way of keeping the marks honest and indulging a little bit in the process of what it's like to mark provincial exams at the end of the term.
I thought it was going to be boring, but it was actually somewhat enjoyable. I'm pretty good at just being on my own, so sitting down in a big room with a stack of marking and little stress about the results made for an enjoyable day. My fellow markers were supportive, some of the papers were thoroughly entertaining (one kid said that cell phone waves exploded gas stations, another said they're good to prevent kidnappings, and another said that they were vital in case Brad Pitt was on the side of the road looking for a date!), and we receieved a free lunch. Those of you who know me well know that I'm easy to bribe... just give me free stuff, particularly food. What can I say... I'm a bit of a food floosy.
However, I must end the rant here because I have a boatload of work to go before I'm allowed to let my head hit the pillow. 5:56am comes early when the wife is rolling you out of bed so she can sleep for a few more minutes while I'm in the shower. Yet, this is a wonderful thing... I'm one of those people who had to put the alarm across the room just so I would have to physically get up and out of bed to turn off the blaring hair metal, and even that doesn't prevent a return to the warm sheets that call my name so softly. It's like a hotel wake up call, only better. Minus the bruised hips from the fall off the bed.
- T
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