End of 2nd week (technically 1.5 week) of school - nerdy teacher talk alert!

 The first few weeks of school is all about grinding it out, it's like hitting the gym after not hitting it for years (how would I know that, I've never hit the gym 😭). Even 13 years into my teaching service, this year is no different. Here's my batting line up this year

Mondays & Wednesdays

  • Period 1 World History (24 quiet 9th&10th graders, maybe the zero period music teacher lulled them back to sleep)
  • Period 3 APUSH (6 brave juniors)
  • quick lunch 
  • Period 5 World History (24 loud 9th&10th graders, must be the increase blood sugar after lunch)
  • Period 7 Free (brain sizzling time, catch up on work emails, do some grading, do some planning the next day, make some photocopies
Tuesdays & Thursdays
  • Period 2 World History (17 9th&10th graders - female and sophomore dominated class)
  • Period 4 Human Geography (6 ragtag group of pioneering students)
  • club time (I in oversee all clubs)
  • extended lunch
  • Period 6 Free (classroom shared with health class, some light prepping)
Fridays
  • Period 1 to 5 back to back to back to back to quick lunch to back
  • period 6 to get brain back
  • period 7 meet with my work accountability buddy Rex, get ready for weekend!
Some highlights & musings so far
  • Seems like the question of the moment for my freshie boys is "Mr Lu... so what games are in your Steam library?" My response has been either "You will just have to wait and find out." or "Do you know Mr M (a teacher almost my father's age) has a steam account too?" watch their awesome reaction of shock and disbelief and quickly walk away 
  •  I've always started my World History class with this History of Me project. Why? Because 1) It is a fun & low stress way to start off the year 2) I get to put names and faces and background of students together 3) have their projects on file so that I can send it to their younger siblings when they have me eventually and have a good laugh all over again 4) break the ice especially for the newer kids 5) find out secret talent & hobbies of my students 
  • Most interesting presentation so far - a new kid who transfer from our "rival" school (or so he thought) went on and on for about 15 minutes about his past relationships, how his previous school beat our school in sports, and the dumb stuff he did as a middle schooler... but he's secretly a softie at heart (he probably doesn't even know that about himself yet lol)
  • best student secret hobby so far - flower arrangement - a freshmen boy
  • saddest presentation so far - a missionary kid and his family left China for a visa run, COVID happened, could not return... his slide simply said "Lost everything!"... he broke down crying in the middle of his presentation, my heart aches for him
  • the realization that more than 10% of these kids life was under Covid!
  • the realization that most kids have no idea about the Afghan War even though the war spanned their entire life and beyond!
Some goals for this year
  • break the ice among my freshies (half of them are new students at this school)
  • break the ice between the 9th and 10th graders 
    • making seating charts is secretly my top 10 favorite things to do as a teacher
  • plan entire units completely before they start
  • don't procrastinate on grading 
That's all folks!!!



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