Well, I'm home from my new hire training. My head is not spinning quite as fast as it has been the past three days, but I still feel like I don't really know what I'm doing. I DO know that I'm teaching 8th grade math (the course is called Math 8 and it's basically Pre-Algebra-ish), I will teach two 45-minute live classes a day, 75 kids in each class. Yes, 75! I will have one section a week of a smaller group out of the 150 who need re-teaching or other remediation. I have a live online orientation tomorrow morning and the other time as well as all day Friday is for me to start on the long list of online trainings I have assigned to me by K12. I met my mentor today (part of the induction program) whose name is Mark and he is another 8th grade math teacher and is also the department chair. He has a very goofy sense of humor, but very knowledgeable and helpful, and I'm sure I will be in close contact with him all year! We are actually required to talk once a month, and he is supposed to come visit my "home office" after our staff development next week, and I'm supposed to go to him one day and "shadow" him during a class. I have to do a self-evaluation and set goals for myself. I have to enter and submit an expense report for the mileage and dinner I paid for while on this trip (everything gets reimbursed, which is nice!), and I have a list of other housekeeping things I have to do before I will feel like I'm "caught up". I have that "trying to keep your head above water" feeling again like every new teacher feels, and notice I haven't even mentioned lesson planning. As of earlier this afternoon, I didn't have access to the Math 8 curriculum, and even if I did, Mark told me that they don't really use K12's lessons that are pre-made. They use them to know what to teach, but they create their own lessons in PowerPoint. Lucky for me, in the past, the math teachers have already worked together to make PowerPoint lessons for each unit, and I will be getting access to those lessons. I will probably be relying on them pretty heavily at first at least, adding my own personal touches and making sure it's how I would be comfortable teaching them, but why reinvent the wheel if I don't have to? Plus, there are about 7 or so websites that I have to remember usernames/passwords for and how to use them and what they are for. (I guess that comes with the "online" school territory) And I have to remember to run my malware scan every week and to back up all my files (once I have them) on a regular basis.
So, I'm treading water pretty well right now. It's a lot to remember and digest, but I keep telling myself that it will come...I will get the hang of it...if I forget something or need to know something, they will tell me (hopefully!).
When I got home today Gabe was sleeping. When he woke up I went in to get him, and at first he was frowning and fussing, but once he really looked at me, he started smiling and as I was changing his diaper he was just laughing and laughing. I missed him (and Tim) so much! The first night as I was going to bed, I was thinking about him and realized that before I left I thought I wanted a break from him, but being away from him, I realized I didn't want a break! Yes, it's tiring, and yes, it was nice to do what I wanted, when I wanted but I missed seeing my baby! His spit-up, by the way, has gotten WAY better! He hardly does it anymore. He's eating more solids, and his insides are maturing, which of course helps.
Tim is at an elder's meeting right now, and Gabe is in bed, so I think I'll do a little work and try to get myself organized and get a good night's sleep for my full day of online training tomorrow!
So, I'm treading water pretty well right now. It's a lot to remember and digest, but I keep telling myself that it will come...I will get the hang of it...if I forget something or need to know something, they will tell me (hopefully!).
When I got home today Gabe was sleeping. When he woke up I went in to get him, and at first he was frowning and fussing, but once he really looked at me, he started smiling and as I was changing his diaper he was just laughing and laughing. I missed him (and Tim) so much! The first night as I was going to bed, I was thinking about him and realized that before I left I thought I wanted a break from him, but being away from him, I realized I didn't want a break! Yes, it's tiring, and yes, it was nice to do what I wanted, when I wanted but I missed seeing my baby! His spit-up, by the way, has gotten WAY better! He hardly does it anymore. He's eating more solids, and his insides are maturing, which of course helps.
Tim is at an elder's meeting right now, and Gabe is in bed, so I think I'll do a little work and try to get myself organized and get a good night's sleep for my full day of online training tomorrow!
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