More from the East End

Sunday September 20, 2009

So I am going into week 5 tomorrow. I am learning more and more the kids both love and hate me. They love me when they are not in my class...they hate me when I make them do ANYTHING! Of course I am getting into the swing of things, but sometimes I cannot help but think I am SO disorganized...when in all reality I am pretty organized compared to most. I find myself in the middle of piles upon piles of papers, they all seem to be graded and input into the grade book, but sorting them to get them back to students? Not very easy or convenient. It seems as though time goes by faster than I can blink…I wake up, I get coffee, I head to school an hour and a half before kids arrive, but then all of a sudden they’re there! I go through the day on my feet; I leave school after several frustrating and wonderful hours that seemed like minutes, and then find myself home with even more work to do. What it must be like to have a job where you have no work to bring home! Not only do I bring it home, but with Ryan and I still organizing, I come home, clean stuff up, change into comfy clothes, watch Ellen sometimes and get in an hour or so break. Then dinner, then grading, then realizing it is all of a sudden ten (how’d that happen so fast?) and I need to shower. Sigh…shower…bed…BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! And so it happens again the next day.
What a life. And amazingly with all of the work and hormonal pre-teens, I couldn’t be happier! I have an amazing husband, and some great friends who are all supportive and so much fun. Not that we live for the weekend, but OOOooohhhh how good it is to sleep in until at least nine thirty on Saturdays. Our apartment is finally turning into home.
Even better, I got my first check on Friday! Seriously, I know I haven’t been getting paid that much, but it was the biggest check I’ve ever seen! Also, the first check I’ve seen since the end of school. Yes I have gotten support from TFA, but to have hard earned money in our bank account – life can’t get much better than this (oh, well unless my kids understood everything I said every day, and followed every instruction too – when pigs fly!)
I have some amazing young people in my classes, and they are amazingly behind. It makes me sad – but they best part is a few of my favorite students came in after school for help – I hadn’t even suggested it! They are not boys who I would picture coming in for help often, so that was a great experience. We had a great time. I tried so hard to try and help them, and my one student says, “Mrs. Shumway, you’re teaching us. You can do that in class…just help me with the homework!” I laughed so hard.
Oh my…and now it is 8:45, and I’m almost done planning for the week. Then soon to bed.
God Bless…hope you are all praying for my kids.
Emily