Day two and I'm already exhausted. Okay, maybe that's a bit melodramatic. But, then again, that's me... always looking for the big flourish!
I guess I should explain that this whole NaBloPoMo thing is actually a relatively big deal in Bloggo-World (kinda like Bizarro-World, without any Jerry Seinfeld). I'm not even officially connected to the whole thing. But, I'm a bit of an ape in the fact that I mime those closest to me, and since L.G. is doing it, heck, why shouldn't I? Even though I can't win any cool prizes and the two of you reading are already tired. So, onto more of my days as a TOC...
Yesterday was definitely another adventure. I got a call for a local high school where I've been a number of times. I love it there... the kids are great, I get along really well with a bunch of the teachers, and it's only a 10 minute walk from my house. I've been lucky enough to go in for some honours and upper level English classes and even a writing class. Yesterday, however, was a bit different.
I was given a random job for a guy I hadn't met. But, since I love the school and it was an English job (I'm available for Social Studies too, but the more I teach it, the less I love it), I was happy happy happy to return. Also, both a cousin of my wife's as well as L.G.'s little sister E.C. attend the school, so it's a pleasure going.
I walked in the door, signed in, and received my teaching assignment for the day. The first block was a doozy... the behaviour room. (Insert ghoulish, suspense creating music here). When a TOC gets the call for this sort of assignment, the system never tells you there are blocks relating to the behaviour room because most TOC's run and hide. But, being my luck (I just did a day in the behaviour room at the middle school across the street just a short 2 weeks ago), I was off to "The Cube". "Luckily", they were pretty well staffed and, smelling the fear on me, directed me to the ESL room to help out students with various English and SS projects. So, it turned out to be a decent morning. HOWEVER, I was dreading the afternoon because when I looked at the sheet, I froze and maybe puked a bit... just a bit...
I was called in for a MATH teacher! In a HIGH SCHOOL! Now, for those of you who don't know me, I haven't taken a math course in about 7-8 years... since senior year in high school. I avoided it like the plague in Uni, and although I'm fairly proficient in practical mathematics, I wasn't so sure about senior high currculum. I guess it was lucky for me because it was an "Essentials" class, meaning that it was students who either didn't pass the regular class or were behaviourally incapable of sitting down to do two hours of challenging math curriculum. I say "lucky" because the material was easy enough. The kids were definitely a challenge, but I could at least get through the material. Just like 3 hours of middle school Halloween dancing on Wednesday, I survived. And I made a note pointing to the fact that I was highly untrained in the Mathematics field and that he should change what his call-out subject area is on the District system.
So, these have been my adventures.
On a completely unrelated note, I'm reading a few books right now. One is Fury by Salman Rushdie... I've taken a bit of a hiatus from this one, since it's pretty dense, though getting better every chapter. The newest one, though, which I purchased at Chapters just a few weeks ago, is Margaret Atwood's Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing. Again, for those of you who don't know me, I'm a HUGE lit (particularly Canadian lit) geek, so this is quite thrilling for me. So I thought I'd share a gem with you that I read while waiting for K to get done work. She talks about growing up in rural Quebec and being a bit of an alien to regular school kids who were socialized by pop culture and raised with TV, and although I'm not giving the quote nearly the significance it deserves, here it is...
"It took a long time for me to figure out that the youngest in a family of dragons is still a dragon from the point of view of those who find dragons alarming".
Over the last year, she's definitely become one of my favorites. The Handmaid's Tale and The Tent are great books that I suggest wholeheartedly. Sorry, mom, you probably won't like either. They're both kinda weird. :)
But tomorrow's another posting day, so tomorrow I shall return. Until the morn...
T
2 comments:
Somehow you are official; I am visiting you via the randomizer. I home school, and I have 2 doing high school math right now. Fortunately I am not bad at it, and unfortunately, I am not bad at it--I get frustrated when they don't get the concept after the 50 time of explaining it trying different ways so hopefully one way will click. Actually, they are doing okay, and only come to me with the odd question.
You're a braver person than I, methinks. I only finished my teaching program last year, and although I'm trained in Social Studies and English, I would much rather talk about Shakespeare and novels and short stories than discuss pre-WWI Canadian history.
I can definitely understand your frustration with the, "Why don't you understand this! It's perfectly clear in my explanation!" thing... it happens whether you're trained or not... sometimes they just don't get it. But good for you to keep persevering! Hope you enjoyed your stop by!
T
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