well, it's looking like this might be a "once a month" deal, if that! the first month of school is over, and it's been a doozy. we've already had some big student blow-outs (a consequence of absorbing the EBD kids after the SpEd teacher for that program retired last year & wasn't replaced), and the days whizz by so fast that i barely have time to check my work email except for first thing in the morning and late at night when i finally get home. i'm shadowing students in 2 classes this year - biolgy & algebra 1a - and fortunately, i love those subjects, plus they get me out of the biggest, most obnoxious classes we have during the day. i love the kids we've got, and i'm sort of running my own little classroom this year with 3 students that are fairly capable but have built relationships w/ me &/or are in higher-level classes that i can more easily help with than my coworkers. the hang-up compared to last year & being in our classroom the whole day is, i have less time at work to work on my grad classes. i'm still trying to figure out a good schedule, but right now am spending most of the weekend busting work out - which leaves little re-coop time.
...especially when i'm working at the pool 5 days/wk & also am there the other 2 days for practices. some days i don't get home for over 12 hrs, b/c if i go home btwn work & practice i know i'll never get out of the house in time for practice. i should be doing homework in the office, but it's hard with kids bugging you from the doorway b/c they're bored, besides needing a break after a long day. fortunately, i only have 2 classes left before student teaching begins, so that means 16 wks of work before things change. my planned student teaching experience is apparently not going to work out - i was going to stay in the classroom i work in, but my boss(es) talked about it & think i should go over to the elementary school where mom works, since elementary SpEd jobs are more plentiful than high school jobs. i have absolutely no desire to work w/ younger kids, beyond coaching - i like being able to send them home after an hour! i know my bosses have my best interests at heart & are only trying to help increase my marketability for the long-term, but i don't like envisioning working anywhere else than where i am now. i love the high school kids, the coworkers, the environment, the content, etc. needless to say, it sent my attitude plummeting this week.
poolside, things are going pretty well. one of my old ass't coaches is coaching the squad i had the past 2 yrs, while i moved up to a competitive squad. (fingers crossed this means i get to travel to meets this year!) it means more hours, which means more pay, which is helpful. maybe i'll actually pay off my undergrad loans this year before i have to start on the grad loan... as for coach, things are much better than where they were left this summer. i desperately needed a change of scenery and vacation with amazing friends, and came back home with a better attitude. being back to working together & seeing each other every day has gone well, we get along like old times w/ the joking & laughing. he's coaching the high school team along w/ club right now, which means lots of hours on deck & extra stress, but we've hung out a couple of sunday afternoons by taking his dog for walks. i hope that gets to be more frequent once high school season is over w/, b/c despite all the crap from early summer, the feelings are still there on my end & i'm fairly certain he knows it. one week seemed fairly flirtatious, so there may need to be a straight up conversation one of these days to set the record straight once and for all. but, not now. so until then, i'll suffice with daydreams.
so, survival mode is in full effect - even more so than i'd thought last year or the year before that. this means LOTS of coffee & hopefully some nature adventures despite the cold weather that's coming. i'm not ready for the dark days & constant grey skies, but am very excited for boots, scarves & down jackets!
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