Hello all,
For those of you who had read my facebook message earlier in the week, I apologize for alarming you if I did. Don't worry, all is well. I was just having a tough couple of days here.
As for the happenings of the week, the dramas in our department have been put on hold at least...all seem to be working out well (either that, or we realize we are nearing our week's vacation and don't really care). There are countdowns happening all over the place: last year 11 classes - as exams are coming up; last year 8 classes as the person who got the second head position (who I would have been up against IF I had decided to apply) is going to be taking over the class when she starts in a couple of weeks; the count down until the end of the year (according to Krista: 8 more Wednesdays - not including our holiday week Wednesday)...stuff like that.
The "highlight" for my week regarding student behaviour was with my high 10 class who decided to come into class on Wednesday where half of my boys decided to either punch another guy in the balls (there word), kick someone in the ass, punch someone just because, all in the name of fun and all throughout lesson - no matter how much conversation I had with them. I ended up kicking out 2/3rds of my class, so I could have the 1/3rd that was annoying me at the end of lesson to ream them (in front of the PSO) for their behaviour. They were told to have 2-10 minute "learning catch-ups" where they spent that time cleaning rooms and emptying recycling bins. The funny this is that even through their stupidity, they are still my favourite class...and one of the two main classes I will miss when I come home at the end of the year.
Yes, you've heard me right. It doesn't matter at this point that I don't have a job waiting for me, even though they would love me to stay here, I don't think I can go through another year at this school. The sad thing is, it isn't like I feel like I'm learning things here (like classroom management, how to hone my lessons or make things fun and interactive with the whiteboards), it's just that I'm afraid of picking up bad habits (as I found myself telling my year 10s to shut up and didn't realize I had until I was half-way through my next sentence...and that scared me). Sure, it would be nice to take on a leadership role in my department, but I kind of already do when I am at home...and if that is what I am truly looking for, then I will make the effort back home to gain those skills and possibly work towards my principal ship...some day. But right now, I feel like I still have a lot to learn and I want to learn it in the system that I feel makes more sense - one that cares about their students and truly does try to set up students for success and not failure as it appears here. This is not just the snobby Canadian talking, I've had this discussion with teachers who teach here. Those who truly care realize what the system is like - they grew up in it - but they are also aware of how they feel things SHOULD be, seeing the pitfalls in their system, but don't have the means to change them globally...so they try things within their own class. Baby steps!
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