Well, it happened again. I've lost count now of how many times my subjects/rosters have changed. The new principal didn't like the fact that there was a 4th/5th split class, and so has effectively removed that teacher from our team by making his class purely 4th grade. What that means, is that instead of a 4 person team, which allowed us to have partner teachers and teach half the subjects, we're back to a 3 person team. So, now we're going back to a 3 way rotation, but do it a bit differently than we did earlier in the year. However, it sounds like it may be easier for me now since now I'm just teaching Reading to the entire 5th grade in 3 hour-and-a-half blocks, instead of teaching Reading, Writing, and Grammar to 2/3 of the 5th grade.

The expectations placed upon me by my administration, TFA, parents, etc, seem to pile on more and more every week. Just this last week, in preparation for the Tennessee Writing Assessment, we got a district mandate specifying how to teach writing. Essentially they told me to start doing small group writing centers the following day. In theory, that's a good plan. Were I an experienced teacher, with an arsenal of these "writing center activities" at my disposal, effective and functional procedures for rotating between groups, and so on, this would work. However, I am not an experienced teacher, and I lack these activities and procedures. This entire year has been filled with change after change, district mandate after district mandate, leaving me in a constate state of flux, and my students in an environment of no consistency, structure, or routine. Before I can even adapt to or fulfill the requirement of the last administrative directive (such as documenting all of my intervention strategies with my below-proficient students, submitting my progress-monitoring data, or providing the necessary information for the newest district program to promote students that have been retained for 1 or more years...just to name a few), I am told of the newest expectation or that my content areas that I am required to teach have changed. My partner teacher, who has taught 6 months more than I have, puts it well when she says, "I feel like a hamster in a wheel." Indeed.

One thing I am stoked on is my grad class that I'm taking twice a week. I have to take grad courses to maintain my alternative teaching license. While last semester's class was a complete waste of time - a requisite jump through a hoop - this semeter's class looks to be quite worthwhile. Given what I am currently teaching, the class is very relevant: Grade 4-8 Literacy. I love the professor. He's got great experience (including several decades in Memphis City Schools) and loves everything about reading. We've struck up a good relationship, after sharing several common interests, as well as being the only two males in the classroom. Matt: I was reading that Italo Calvino book, and he got REAL excited about it. "Oh wow! He's one of my favorite authors. I've never seen anyone reading his stuff!" Nice. The class has refreshed my passion for teaching, for kids, as well as my long-term vision of myself. As is probably apparent in these posts, this job of mine has narrowed my scope to the hear-and-now, cripplijng my sense of purpose, my self-concept, and my ambitions. But now I'm having positive visions of myself in the future, as both a teacher and professor. This return to the culture of academia surprisingly welcome. Maybe because it's an arena in which I have had success? In any case, I think this class has come at a good time for me, to correct an obvious imbalance in my life.

Last week, my good friend Sarah Haas came had a several day layover in Memphis. It was great to show someone my new life, and I appreciated the perspective that it brought me. She came to my school and watched me in action for part of my morning. I want to go back to Whitman...

I just got back from Hot Springs, Arkansas with my roommates and some girls. We spent all Saturday at the Horse Tracks, betting on horses! It was quite the experience. The culture there was interesting, and it's hard to describe. I suppose it's what you might expect from a horse race venue in Arkansas. Lotsa white folks. I had 3 or 4 winning tickets, but more losing tickets. My roommates Will and Bill went in together (mistake #1), putting down about $200 each (mistake #2), and placing huge bets on trifecta combinations that never panned out for them (mistake #3 - trifecta bets mean that you predict the first, second, and third place finishers). So they lost big. I think the only winner was my friend Jess - she came out $4 on top I think.

The other day I opened a fortune cookie. It read: "One learns the most through teaching."

first week back

Yesterday we met our new principal, who is officially assuming her new duties today. I'm hoping that with this latest major change, there won't be any more drastic changes in class roster or the subjects that I'm required to teach. This year has just been filled with turmoil and instability. Hopefully the new principal will be more a more consistent and solid leader.

I'm trying to set up "centers" in my classroom - workstations (mainly literacy games) where my students can work independently. Hopefully by having activities that will run themselves after a while, I will be able to cut back on my preparation time, excessive teacher talking, and stress.

I recently had a donation request fulfilled for some chess sets. I'm hoping to start an after school chess club for the upper grades. I may be crazy in extending myself even further than I already am, but I'm hoping that this will help me develop a more positive role in the school, and build relationships with some of the 4th graders in the school who I very well may have in my class next year.

This morning, while Enya was playing in the classroom, one of my students asked me to turn off the "Hanukkah music."