serafina20 | School Days rant

The math lessons are still ... going. I taught my second one today. My school has the fifth grades ability grouped in the three classes, which means that kids from the other two fifth grade classes comes in for my lessons. Except, they don't do this on Monday, because we had music. Confusing, right? Well, my Master Teacher (MT) thought we were going on to chapter 2. The other two teachers didn't think we should do this. So I taught lesson 1 on Monday and had prepared for lesson 2 today, when the other classes came in. So over half the class hadn't had the work. I ended up combining the lessons, but I had a feeling that they didn't understand. Which means I'll be reteaching again on Wednesday, which means my lesson plans are thrown off, and I *have* to give the test on Friday. This will be interesting.

Classroom management is hard since my MT has done barely anything. Today, to get the math class on track, I wrote directions on the board for them to do. My MT thought this was a wonderful and unique idea and it was just so great.

Dude. I got that from the book *she* lent me.

But, overall, I'm enjoying school and teaching and everything. I teach a poetry unit next week. Yay!

Then today we had a meeting with my university supervisor (US). Basically, she's 'teaching't the class, and we get together at her house once a week to talk about what we're doing, get ideas from everyone else, talk about our portfolios and paperwork portion of the class, and kevetch a little bit. There are two women (Sara and ... we'll call her Wilma for reasons unknown to anyone) who are so so stressed. Wilma doesn't seem to be the most intelligent woman to begin with, but add all the stress she is putting on herself, and she's downright stupid. And Sara is complaining that she doesn't have any time to get all her work done, because if she doesn't go to the teacher's lounge during school, she'll be missing out on the community of the school, but if she does, then she can't spend time with her kid and oh, I'm so, so, busy.

I'm wondering what the hell she's doing. I don't spend that much time on stuff at home. A little, but not so much that I can't also say hi to my family and pop online. Plus, what's she going to do when she's actually teaching? She's always going to have these problems.

The only man in the group is nice and competent, but he also possesses everything I don't like about men. I don't mind going to these meetings; the first thing he said when we left was, "Is it just me, or is this a waste of time?" To which I replied, "I dont' mind them." But he's just so ... such a man. I can't explain it except to say that he's spent the last two weeks bitching about how bored he is, and how this is easy, and he doesn't need lesson plans because lesson plans are for pussy's (my words) and "I managed 200+ kids at Kids Club (in the snow, uphill both ways without shoes)" and on and on and on. And you almost *never* here a woman doing this. Women seem to be able to know there limits and realize that we don't know everything, so sometimes it's okay to just sit and listen and learn from someone with more experience teaching (rather than yelling shut up or you dont' get to play).

Okay, I'm stopping now. I really am enjoying this experience, I just needed to vent. And now I'm done. ;)

I can't get the LJ gender thing to work. I'm really frustrated with livejournal lately; it won't let me comment, won't open pages, and won't let me do any memes.

Quote:

One has to find a balance between what people need from you and what you need for yourself. --Jessye Norman