Hi all - this is the first time I've been to this site in about a month. I honestly didn't know it was going to be this crazy the first several weeks. I cannot seem to get on top of things, and while at first that was ok and I went with it, now it's starting to make me feel...well, is hopeless too strong of a word? Like others have mentioned, this is not quite like they explained it to me, or at least not how I assumed it would be. I'm at a charter school that has way too many kids and not enough space, so they've added on a "second shift" and we literally have classes going on from 7am-6:30pm everyday, in every single room, every single class period. Students can take classes anywhere during that time, teachers can teach any class during that time as well. There are 4 "lunches", but really these are just additional periods and some kids have breaks during them to eat. Teachers don't break at the same time - it all just depends on your teaching schedule. I teach from 11:29-5:48. I don't have a classroom; I transfer between 4 classrooms. We have 3 minute passing periods. Though every room is equipped with a smartboard, several don't have normal whiteboards. One class, I have 30+ kids stuffed in a tiny "room" that used to be the book closet. Kids sit on the ground because there's no other place to sit. I don't even have room to walk around and check individual work or help students. Finally, now that it's the 4th week, schedules are starting to stay the same. For the first three weeks, my rosters changed EVERY SINGLE DAY. I'd constantly lose and gain students and I feel like so many kids are completely lost now and there's no way to catch them up. I found out 6 days before the first day of school that I was teaching Geometry. Geometry was always a bit of struggle for me and I had no time to reacquaint myself with things. Proofs have already been introduced in the 2nd chapter and I can already feel so many of kids giving up in confusion. I've started questioning if I'm doing a good job teaching, or even if my lessons make sense. Is there a way to make these things less confusing? I feel like so many students don't get it, but I don't know what else to do - do they just not try? Or am I not teaching well at all? I want to do activities and have fun and take it slower with some of these difficult topics, but I feel so pressed for time, and as though if we don't keep going, we'll never be able to catch up. The math dept. is meeting for the first time on Wed. morning, and I'm so scared they are just going to tell me that I'm doing everything wrong and that I'm only allowed to teach how they want me to teach and I can only use specific tests questions, etc. If they have specifics, I wish they would have told me beforehand; I just feel like I wasn't given any instruction, just given a student text and told to teach (I still don't have a teachers edition of the book). I'd just like to get a couple of days ahead, so I don't feel so stressed all the time. I'd like to get some sleep too. And it's getting hard working out of my car and storing all my files in my trunk. I wish I had a home base - lugging all my stuff to each class is also wearing on me. If this is a transition year, I understand. If this is how it is for all first year teachers, then I will suffer through it. If this is how it will be everyday of my teaching career, perhaps I don't want to do it. I'd like to have a bit of my own life as well. When does this start to get better??
Hi Raneydae, I don't have any words of wisdom--just wanted to commiserate. My school isn't as crowded as yours, but I have the same problem with lacking a central location. I don't have a classroom, and the only place I have to store my stuff is half of a small kitchen-cabinet type space in the teacher's workroom. Carting everything around makes me constantly feel as if I'm about to lose everything--including my mind! I still haven't figured out how to stay organized and on top of things... Anyway, I'm crossing my fingers that things will get better. I know what you mean about wanting to have a life--I work all day during the week and all day during the weekends trying to stay on top of my material, never mind get ahead! I hope things get better for you--as folks have said before, you're not alone! And that, at least, has helped me realize that my current difficulties are not only due to my inexperience (although that's certainly quite a bit of it!) but also to my situation. You're doing the best you can in your situation. I hope your department will realize that. Good luck!
Wow, raneydae!! Your situation is definitely a unique one. I know that charter schools work differently from public schools, but this "schedule" sounds so confusing. I know that personally I don't think I could teach in that environment, but to each his own. As far as feeling hopeless, it is your first year and the only way you can really understand what it means to be a teacher is to experience it. Nothing can prepare you for your own classroom. By Christmas break, I am sure that you will have it down. It just takes some getting used to. I can't give you any advice on the math part of it. Proofs always got me in HS. Good luck this year!!
