Today’s post is to thank all of you who voted for Frumteacher in the 2007 weblog awards contest. I feel humbled to have been nominated for such a prestigious award in the first place. Making it to the finals was beyond my dreams and getting so many votes silences me. Therefore, I let these two cute Sanrio characters do the talking (click the image to see them move)!
Thank you! November 9, 2007
Cool teacher things November 1, 2007
Who can, on a work day, read stories on the Egyptian god of the sun, watch a movie with Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughy, learn the latest teenage-slang words, write and draw on a blackboard, discuss the similarities between the Vietnam War and the situation in Iraq, print a portrait of Brezhnev on a color laser jet, read ‘J’Accuse’ by Emile Zola AND GET PAID FOR IT?
I love being a teacher. What cool things did you do today?
Worn out but enough of that October 29, 2007
That’s it: it’s only Monday and I am already worn out. I felt so energetic this morning. The extra hour of sleep really did it for me. I was on time, I had prepared my lessons the way I had wanted to, and I felt like teaching.
I opened the door of my classroom, and the heat struck me like a slap in the face. It was at least 90 degrees in there. It’s been like that for weeks, so today I investigated what was wrong. It turns out that the thermostate to my room is broken, but because the building will be demolished in January (new building will be finished only in 2009, the earliest) and we will live in trailers until then, nobody will fix it. It’s like teaching in Soviet Russia where the heating of Moscow was regulated centrally and only an open window could cool the place down.
Of course, all my students were hyperactive today, and 8th period I had the class from hell to top it off with. Lord knows how I will make it ’til Friday.
Nevertheless, because I don’t feel like whining today, Miss Teacha inspired me to come up with five things I am grateful for:
1. Weekend was great
2. I found some great books that will help me out in my Asian history classes
3. After months and months of planning, I will finally watch ‘Freedom writers’ with a colleague one evening this week
4. The weather is still really nice, no rain or storm
5. This week is the last full week of teaching before midterm exams, meaning more grading but less teaching, and hopefully more sleep, for two weeks
That’s it, I feel better!
a
PS. Ideas to improve classroom management in class from hell are still welcome!
PPS. Picture: Worn Out (Van Gogh, 1882)
