Those darn kids!

Well, my students have proven themselves to be incredibly precocious in terms of finding stuff out about me (some examples -- they were singing my band's songs yesterday, one of them has already added me as a friend on MySpace, and when I said I was busy this weekend, someone answered "Oh, because you have your wedding reception Saturday, right?") It's a little creepy. In any case, it's only a matter of time before they locate the ol' Count Mockula blog. Sigh. Well, I'll try not to smack-talk about them. =)

So the first week of school is over. Whew. I'm decompressing a bit. Although I've taught three preps before (three different subjects, to the non-teacher crowd), at the last school I could sort of stretch it so that one lesson, varied slightly, could suffice for two classes. Not so, here. Just a quick update, because I only have a couple hours to rest, figure out what Piggs and Toltec want to do for dinner, and get to mom's.

Good stuff: These kids rule. They make eye contact, say good morning, shake hands, roll over . . . okay, not roll over, but they are exponentially more mature than a simple couple-year age difference would have led me to expect. It's cool. They get my jokes and stuff. I can give them fairly complicated instructions and they can roll with it. The campus is really lovely, thanks in part to a ceramics teacher whose students' work is all over the school. Other teachers and the staff have generally been really friendly and helpful. I especially like the people I've been working most closely with, which is a big bonus. There are opportunities that were simply not available to me before. Here's a great example: I idly mention at lunch on Wednesday that I'd like to get my kids into the "one book one Sacrameneto" program where everybody reads the same book in October. I asked if there were funds to buy a class set of books. Within 26 hours, books are on their way and we are arranging buses to take some students to meet the author. I can actually do FUN stuff. I haven't taken a field trip since my first year teaching, and I'm already in on two for this autumn alone.

Bad stuff: Mainly, I'm still getting used to procedural stuff -- like that I have to take my own copy paper to the copy room. There's ONE women's staff restroom for a staff of 120. The others are under construction, or for the handicapped (you can use them, but the curtains don't close completely, so a person-with-a-disability might roll in at any minute and peek through the curtains at you on the pot). There's another restroom my key doesn't seem to open. It's a LONG walk anywhere else on campus. There's no real staff lunchroom, and therefore not much opportunity for camaraderie, or to make new friends. And on that note, I really miss my friends from the old school. I knew I would. I mean, I had co-workers I liked, and I had co-workers who were my support system, my mid-day stress relief, my comic interludes, my bosom friends. Someone is using my classroom 7th period for a Spanish class -- it's not like that's a real strain, but I can't go write on the board, or turn my radio on, or sit on the floor and make posters like I used to during my prep. The teacher is nice, I like her, but it is just a bit of an imposition. Plus, it's a longer day by an hour and 5 minutes. And because we're salaried, not hourly, there's no pay raise for the additional 180 hours a year.

On to the weekend! It seems that my FiL and SMiL have arrived in town and are at their hotel. My SiL, MiL, and niece and nephew should arrive this evening. More family is coming tonight and tomorrow. I'm going over to mom's with Monkeygirl, Sora, and maybe others to decorate tonight. I am so glad we got married the way we did, on the down low, as it were, but this whole celebratory thing is going to be fun, too. I'm looking forward to it.