One of the best thing about teaching high school is regents week. Sure, we have to proctor exams (very boring). Sure we get humiliated by anal retentive administrators who insist on making us wait on long lines so they can check over every thing we did while proctoring. And, sure the marking is tedious. But, all, in all, these few days are a pleasant respite from the normal day to day activity.
One of the good things about my school is that we are free when we don't have any assignments. Today my only real assignment was at 10:15. I did not show up until after 9 and was able to take a long lunch and then leave early. Yesterday's schedule was similar. Tomorrow and Monday will be spent marking regents but, that is okay. I still can go to the bathroom or get a cup of coffee without waiting for the bell to ring and I don't have to worry if my cell phone goes off.
The kids come back on January 30. I think we are going to have a full day of school. The kids are not going to be happy to be back in class and I am sure that teaching will not be easy. They've gotten report cards and new programs. Classroom management will be difficult, to say the least.
One of the good things about my school is that we are free when we don't have any assignments. Today my only real assignment was at 10:15. I did not show up until after 9 and was able to take a long lunch and then leave early. Yesterday's schedule was similar. Tomorrow and Monday will be spent marking regents but, that is okay. I still can go to the bathroom or get a cup of coffee without waiting for the bell to ring and I don't have to worry if my cell phone goes off.
The kids come back on January 30. I think we are going to have a full day of school. The kids are not going to be happy to be back in class and I am sure that teaching will not be easy. They've gotten report cards and new programs. Classroom management will be difficult, to say the least.
Sorry to rub this freedom in the face of all you elementary and middle school teachers. I just could not help myself.
8 comments:
Even though I love middle school kids, your post is another reminder of why I should have transferred to a high school long ago. Enjoy the respite- you work hard enough.
I love days like this. Our school gives the Iowa Tests of Educational Development on one day- the kids are done by 11:30 or so. Then, we get to take a long lunch and are encouraged with a wink to "collaborate with our peers". Ah, the bathroom and coffee freedoms....Personally, I like being able to listen to NPR while working in my room.
I miss that. Since I program, it is a busy time for me. But I like the change of rhythm.
At my first school I liked how social the grading room was. At the small school... nah.
And I used to like grading I, II, and III more than A and B, with their bizarre rubrics. I'm still fast, but I used to be faster (but always fairly accurate. The teachers at my first school put me on "reread" committees right away).
Staff development next week. And then the kids back, but its a partial week. And then February break...
Ohh well glad you are enjoying them. I am trying but my neck of the woods is the impossibility of reason--that's all I can say for now. The facts are as usual unbelievable but true! Stay tuned.
I taught HS last year and teach MS now. I recently had the pleasure (sarc.) of administering the NYS ELA exam to a bunch of surly 8th graders. It really, really made me miss Regents week. They should just send the kids home after the test. They don't want to do anything after the test, and when you see the mood they're in, you don't want to make them do anything, either.
The down side to Regents Week are the non attendance days that follow. It's professional development time again folks, a time when we'd all rather see kids. This is torture; I will have to secret into meetings my sanity savers: puzzles, problems, books, magazines, and sitting with like minded people. The important thing is that I have access to a bathroom with toilet paper, preferably rolling toilet paper. I, like my students, just need to take that bathroom pass and take a walk. It will be the usual suspects yakking about the usual cohorts or maybe that newly discovered cohort.....and of course data data etc.etc. My eyes will roll. You all have had the experience!
The math department will get to skip PD on Monday and if we are lucky Tuesday also.
We did not finish marking Math A exams and have not even touched the Math B's yet.
Ii'll be thinking about you Workshop as I mark away.
I wish I could join your math department in its marking....as bogus as the standards are, at least you are using the time productively!!
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