I've just arrived in Ann Arbor after spending the morning attending meetings at Western International. I fear that the constant commuting from Livonia to Detroit to Ann Arbor is going to drive me crazy at least once this year, but it's certainly been manageable thus far.
Some notes:
The amount of work required of teachers before the school year starts seems absolutely massive. I've carried hundreds of textbooks, cleaned the classroom and my mentor teacher even repaired a desk with an electric drill! This is not even considering the actual preparation for teaching our students, who will be expecting a pristine classroom and a prepared teacher by next Tuesday.
I have also gotten an overwhelmingly positive welcome from my fellow teachers. I initially worried that some teachers might treat me a bit like a student (as I doubt I look much older than many of their students...), but they have welcomed me into their group and are sure to be a constant source of advice and support throughout the year.
I'm guessing that my Day 3 notes will be a touch less interesting, as we seem to be rolling into the Labor Day holiday on a wave of paperwork, but I'll post posting regardless!
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Interesting point about all the hard copies that we ask students to carry. I wonder if in the future we could eliminate the need for 6 different text books, notebooks...etc and have everyone on one little netbook (or something similar)? I wonder what the cost difference might be?
ReplyDeleteSo glad you received a warm welcome! Teachers know what it was like to be a new student teacher and are usually very welcoming. Pleased to read that was the case for you!
I agree, I did not know how much there was to do. My mentor is a department head, and the extra time that he spends is certainly "extra". The good thing is that we will get a routine down the more years we have.
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