Grr. Argh. Lesson planning sucks.

After reading in some book somewhere some time ago (everything is becoming a blur) that IST's (Instructional Support Teachers) are just part of a massive bureaucracy that keeps sustaining itself, and after not having HAD such a teacher (who also performs the function of a departmental head) for the entirety of our first month here, we (the royal we) were only partially thrilled to find out that our fabled IST would soon be arriving at school. In part, it's been annoying because the school system, which chooses to communicate seemingly important information like, "Oh, by the way, those materials you need for that curriculum bit you're starting next week won't be here for another three weeks - so here's some inane OTHER lesson plans you'll be needing," doesn't seem to realize that those schools which don't have an IST for Language Arts (and there are three) should probably receive this information through some other channel.

So all this is to say that when our school's other IST - the Math one, the one who's been here and has been as helpful as she can concerning non-mathematical matters - tells us how to formulate our Objectives by using a method that's good for Math people, Science people, Social Studies people, and just about everyone but Language Arts people - then that's annoying. (For anyone actually interested, we were told to use the "strand" of our State Standards as the "unit" title. But whereas a Science teacher might have a "Chemistry" unit, or a Math teacher a "Geometry" unit, we are unlikely to have a "Listening" unit or a "Speaking" unit. This is because in Language Arts instruction, we are nearly always using all seven of our standards. So why, oh why, did I have to sit through that whole lecture?

At times like these, I am really looking forward to the arrival of our IST, if for no other reason than that she would understand these differences and know how to help us navigate the Language Arts VSC.

"In" the "Out" Door.

So. Um. Remember that excitement at the two-door phenomenon?

I'm not really feeling it anymore. In fact, I've blocked one of my doors. I asked permission from my principal and it was not granted: "In fact, thank you for reminding me that October is National Fire Prevention Month!" But really, and let me be clear: I'm the one who gets in trouble if my students are out running the halls - and ever since our "spare teacher" is now at his own school, I've had a terrible time trying to at least pretend I've got control over my classroom. So here we go: I've blocked the door, at first with a table and now with some bookshelves. It doesn't REALLY stop anyone who wants to run out, but it at least prevents most from trying.

Curriculum training, AGAIN.

I feel like the local Miss Goody Two-Shoes, not unlike when I myself was in Middle School.

The other three new teachers at my school are continually skipping out on curriculum training sessions, which are TRES boring and not terribly informative, so I can wholly understand. Nonetheless, strictly speaking they are required, and I feel very annoyed at not finding anyone I can talk to there other than my special ed inclusion teacher and another teacher from my New Teacher Summer Institute.

Stop the world, I want to get off.

I find myself saying things like "the other day" and realizing that it was just yesterday, or worse yet: that very morning.

Make it end. Couldn't we maybe have a freak snowstorm that cancels school for a few days? I mean, we had off on Monday, but that doesn't really seem to have made a difference ... I just wound up spending my time thinking of teacher stuff, anyhow.

Then again, given Katrina, maybe that's a really, really bad wish to have. Our kids are collecting pennies and dimes for service learning hours. A ten cent contribution (or less) equals one service learning hour. Not a bad bargain.