It’s been a whirlwind, ladies and gentlemen. An absolute whirlwind. Week 6: surprise! schedule change. Week 10: surprise! schedule change. Oh wait, just kidding, let’s wait a bit and then Week 12: schedule change now! It’s hard to get into a classroom routine when your classes keep shifting.
On the plus side, this has let me get back into teaching a section of Read 180. As I’m taking classes to add a Moderate Disabilities license to my teaching licenses, working with struggling readers is a definite plus. (I had gained two sections and then lost one, but one is better than none!)
Even more on the plus side, it has allowed me to co-teach with another woman in my department. This woman is lovely. We have similar philosophies, ups and downs, skills and struggles. I suspect (as she is a bit older than me) that I am looking at the woman I am becoming. She is an incredible sounding board. Since my work wife left at the end of the 2016 – 17 year, it has been lonely at work. It’s not as lonely right now.
Going back to the Mod Dis license, I completed my first class on Positive Behavior Intervention and Support. Confession: I am NOT a good student. This class was filled with dynamic, diverse women who teach in a variety of types of schools, and yet, all of us, every last one of us, love our students (even, maybe especially, the punky ones) and believe that behavior is a form of communication, and that students would do well if they could.
Last year was rough on me. My work wife moved. I turned 42. I fell down a flight of stairs and was out of work for 5 weeks. I felt lonely and isolated a lot. Honestly, I wasn’t sure that teaching was the right career path for me. Co-teaching helped, but this class, man, it was rejuvenating on a level that I never expected. My next class – it starts in January – is about learning disabilities. I’m nervous about it, but I’m hoping it is as exciting and educational.