Where to start? Where to start? Oh, I almost forgot the reminder I left for myself.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/9502171
Above is the index page for my blog. The page names may change in the future which means the address will change, but the index page won’t change. A few weeks ago, when I changed the title, I did not realize that the address was changed as well. If you are going to bookmark my blog, you should also bookmark the index page so that you will always be able to find me in the blog o sphere.

Today, I did not do much. I washed a couple loads of laundry. I went downtown to a room realty company. Yes, I still plan to get my own place. Right now, I can only afford a single room, with possible sharing a bathroom and kitchen. When I got to the realty company (it looked more like an apartment building instead of an office building) the downstairs door was locked and the buzzer was not working. I called the company on my cell phone, but I only got the answering machine. According to the answering machine, the company had Sunday hours (10am to 4pm), which was why I came downtown to begin with.

Next month, I’ve been invited to be interviewed for a possible teaching assignment overseas. I am very excited!!!!

Sorry for the delay with my blog entries. Last week, I was really put to work. I was so tired that that once I returned home, I would fall asleep (without eating dinner), wake up around 2 or 3 in the morning. Try to make heads or tails out of the materials that I was given to plan my lessons, and then I would fall asleep at 4 only to get up at 6am. I would like to give a detailed summary of last week, but I am going to have to be brief.

Last Tuesday (Monday was a holiday), I started one of the hardest assignments. The kids really didn’t want me for a teacher. I think I brought too much order to the disorder that they were used to. When I appeared with a typed homework sheet and spelling word list, the students started to mutiny. They were drawing posters, and chanting that they wanted their teacher back. In order to keep (or try to keep) the students in line, I started threatening them with taking photos of their bad behavior and showing the photos to their parents. The principal was not happy with my “motivationally tactic”. She did not want (according to her) “the photos to become an issue”. She “just didn’t want to deal with the photo issue”. The principal suggested that I try some other kind of reward system. I mentioned that rewards were just a fancy word for bribery. She said that she would rather deal with bribery for the students than to deal with the photos of the disruptive students.

I felt like the principal was tying my hands. On the one hand, she wanted the class under control, but on the other hand, she did not want to do anything that would create a conflict with the parents.

When I found out that I would be substituting for the previous teacher, I wanted to try to set a new tone with the students. I wrote a letter of introduction outlining my classroom policies and procedures. And by the end of the school day, my letter was edited out of existence. The reason? I was told that my letter gave the impression that the school, and the students were out of control. Really!?!? When a student can say something to the principal like “I’ll call your mama” (with no consequence), or a student can be escorted out of the class (to call her mother), only to have that student return within 10 minutes (nobody was home), and begin singing at the top of her voice within 5 minutes of returning, how much control is in place?

Sorry, this entry is sounding a little choppy, I am trying to type as fast as my turtle slow hands can, and at the same time, I am trying to be brief.

On Friday, I arrived at school at 8:02, I wanted to print out a spelling list worksheet I made (I still don’t have a printer at home), and photocopy some work for the students. After about 20 minutes of running around, and finishing with 5 minutes before it was time to pick up the students, the principal informs me that due to an emergency (two teachers were absent), I would have to cover another class. Later, I was told that the teacher I was covering for notified the school administration about a week prior, that she would not be coming in.

Friday afternoon, my plan was to straighten up the classroom, and leave the school about 3:30 to go to the post office. I needed a postal money order for the Teacher’s examination testing fee ($88 dollars – plus $30 dollars if the payment is past the due date—and it was) 5 minutes to 3pm, the guidance counselor told me that the 5th grade students need to be taken to the main office to pick up their portfolios for Middle school interviews the next day. However, the portfolios were not ready, and the students were their usual impatient selves. The principal asked me to stay with the students in the hallway, while she (and the guidance counselor) put the portfolios together. They finished about 3:35. I asked the principal if she needed any other assistance (actually, I was expecting a thank you for giving up my time), but instead I only got a “no, there is nothing else”…Not even a thank you. I think that school might have gotten a little too comfortable with me. Although I was planning to return, I’ve decided to take some time off away from that school. Tomorrow, I will be subbing at another school.

Again, I apologize for the choppy writing of this blog entry, but I was trying to be brief and at the same time, give as many details as possible.

Well, until next time….Ja mata…