Baltimore is a city
Since I vacationed in Boston I've started teaching summer orientation at *hopefully* my new school. I have to say, things are going really well. Aside from minor random facts of teaching life (like a 14 year-old girl standing in front of me, with sad eyes, saying that she can't wait to go to the bathroom, and watching a yellow pool form below us), everything is just so normal and right with this school.
I'm struggling with 35 minute periods that aren't on consistent bells. They play jazz music during passing time, and that means someone has to go into the hallway and hit play on the CD player. It's not clockwork, but it's better and calmer - the hallways are more peaceful thanks to the greats. I just don't quite know how to make a meaningful lesson fit in that time frame. I've noticed these last three days that I need to talk less, though.
A wonderful friend visited this past weekend. It was good and calming to see her - and her boyfriend is a good guy. Whew. Good for him, because Scout can tell these types of things and his stay at my house would've been vicious. She and I have the ease and honesty with each other that I want with all my friends, and she's one of the first people to see me at my worst and make that okay. Maybe that's because her parents freakin' rock. They were in town too - love their sense of humor and hospitality.
Okay, I should go. I'm working on doing some justice to history during these next three weeks. I'm starting by making sure my students know who/what/when/where the Native Americans are - and they're letting themselves be upset by the history itself and the way things played out. Oh, and they're learning their states. They don't know them - but they will. Knowing where you are is half the battle, sometimes.
I'm struggling with 35 minute periods that aren't on consistent bells. They play jazz music during passing time, and that means someone has to go into the hallway and hit play on the CD player. It's not clockwork, but it's better and calmer - the hallways are more peaceful thanks to the greats. I just don't quite know how to make a meaningful lesson fit in that time frame. I've noticed these last three days that I need to talk less, though.
A wonderful friend visited this past weekend. It was good and calming to see her - and her boyfriend is a good guy. Whew. Good for him, because Scout can tell these types of things and his stay at my house would've been vicious. She and I have the ease and honesty with each other that I want with all my friends, and she's one of the first people to see me at my worst and make that okay. Maybe that's because her parents freakin' rock. They were in town too - love their sense of humor and hospitality.
Okay, I should go. I'm working on doing some justice to history during these next three weeks. I'm starting by making sure my students know who/what/when/where the Native Americans are - and they're letting themselves be upset by the history itself and the way things played out. Oh, and they're learning their states. They don't know them - but they will. Knowing where you are is half the battle, sometimes.
