all sorts of coolness

It seems like ages since I have posted on this thing, but like all the other college teachers out there, I’ve been busting my hump to get end-of-semester grades squared away; those research papers don’t grade themselves (sadly). But I think I am finally done. Now I can gear up for summer work. 

That’s right. I got summer work. I will no longer be destitute this summer. Well, I’ll still be a little poor, but in more of a McDonald’s sort of way instead of a Ramen noodles sort of way. I’ll be teaching 3 courses and working as a lab assistant in another. So yes, this is progress. 

And even though it doesn’t look like I will have a full time job for the fall, my schedule is looking pretty kick-ass anyway. I’ll be teaching developmental, esl, and composition. AND I think I’m getting a raise! (fingers crossed) And I just found out that my mentor for the esl courses is a very awesome person I’ve gotten to work with in the pass. WIN. 

But really, that’s not the coolest thing. If you can believe it, the coolest thing is that I’ve finally joined the 21st century. That’s right, I got a smartphone. And boy is it smart. A calendar, a checklist, a to-do list (which is different from a checklist), email, music, AND episodes of Lost Girl all at my fingertips. Available at a whim. Oh. And it’s a flashlight. 

I’m in love. 

sitting at the corner of optimistic and insecure

About two months ago, I applied to a ridiculous amount of jobs. As you will recall, I was thrilled to have jobs to even apply to; however, that excitement quickly wore off as I waited, and waited, and waited for a reply.

Then I got a form rejection. We regret to inform you that you were not quite awesome enough to get out of the hands of HR and into the hands of the search committee, who, we’re sure, would think you are quite a lovely person.

Sigh.

Then I got an interview! Of course, the school it’s at is a ways a way – like half a tank of gas away – but it’s an interview with a search committee and a dean (and there’s a teaching demo – woot). So now, I am freaking out about IT instead of these other jobs I have yet to hear from. I am wondering what they will have me demo, how I will simultaneously deal with all 11 people on the search committee, and who can I bribe to make sure that I-95 doesn’t get royally screwed up that day…

In fact, once I am done here I am off to cyber-stalk the college and figure out everything I can.

And yet, I still find myself with time to freak out about those other jobs. Particularly, School A. After I applied, I was very worried, because those people who were on the search committee (that I am aware of) were a little frigid towards me and I thought, oh great, they are trying to distance themselves from what they assume will be an emmy-award winning meltdown. But then, maybe two weeks later, one particular person – a very important person – got all chummy with me. Like, gossip about the students chummy.

Is it a trap to see if I gossip? Is it her way of saying “wink, wink, you’re golden, kid?” Is it her way of trying to soften the blow that they don’t really, really love me? Is she on new meds?

I DON’T KNOW.

So here I am, sitting at the corner of optimistic and insecure, waiting for the bus to my new job. Or possibly the bus back to the adjunct’s poor house….

the end is coming (and i’m stoked!)

I cannot believe that the semester is almost coming to an end. Even as I type it now, I fear that I’ve forgotten about an extra week, a last-minute mandatory test to proctor… I’ve had this nightmare for the last three nights, actually. I wake up one morning, expecting to have a luxurious, lazy day; I come downstairs, I make my tea, and then I check my email… only to find a mailbox full of “where are you?!” waiting for me…

But it’s just a dream. Right?

Right?

In the midst of my end-of-the-semester neurosis I am also dealing with the crazies of my students. This is not to imply that all of my students are trying the last-minute grade fix dance; most of them are in a very comfortable place. But most of my students have transcended tired into full-fledged delirium. And I have to confess, I am right there with them.

Of course, there are a few students I’d like to brow-beat a bit. They are very “woe is me,” which I have little tolerance for. Especially when I know of other students who have overcome real adversities this semester. These students are warriors.

But I am not going to let the “woe is me” kids turn this blog into a “woe is me” moment. I am going to focus on those students who have let me get to know them and those students who have tried.

 

It’s as if we can all feel the end is coming and everything is better for it. Our conversations are franker. The discussion boards are rich with honesty and insight. And humor is everywhere. Not the cynical, angry humor of late night Comedy Central, but sweet humor. The good-naturedly ribbing of siblings.

(Don’t get me wrong. I’m not completely sentimental. I am aware that most of these students will never see each other again. Even if they do, they might not speak again, or even wake to one another in the hallway. But in the confines of my classroom, they’ve become friends.)

Even in my meeting on Friday… it was as strange and politically incorrect as it always is, but something about knowing that we only have one meeting left made me feel almost – well – nostalgic.

Almost.

 

 

victory!

We are winding down for the semester… I have just over a week at School B and just over 2 weeks at School A. If I’m being honest, I really didn’t expect to make it this far and still be on top of my grading. But apparently all of that no-sleep and extra coffee has been worth it because I’m still standing, folks, and everything (almost) is grading. Well, okay, fine. I’m not really standing… it’s more of a leaning thing, but close enough, dammit.

While things at the colleges have been all crazy-like, the tutoring center has been pretty quiet. There were some rennovations done a few weeks ago, and the kids are starting to get used to it. One perk is that I am closer to the teeny-weeny kids (3-4 yrs), and their teachers are sending them over to my new reading center. Most of them aren’t actually reading yet, so we practice the alphabet or we look at a picture book. But they are a nice break from the middle school kids who freak out because they got one answer wrong. These students haven’t been beaten under by the system yet. And they are a bunch of adorable little heartbreakers.

For an example, let me introduce you to Auggie. Auggie is this little boy with the fattest cheeks and biggest eyes I have ever seen. He has trouble getting into the little-kid chairs, and is constantly giggling when he’s supposed to be quiet. It’s as if the word “quiet” or “shh” is frigging hilarious to him.

Right now, he is learning his syllables. Last night I got to overhear the lesson:

Teacher: “Clock. Can you say Clock?”

Auggie: “Tock.”

Not sure if it was the C or the L he was having trouble with, she tries another word.

Teacher: “Cat. Can you say Cat?”

Auggie: “Tat.”

Teacher. “Try the C sound. Cuh.”

Auggie: “Tuh.”

At this point, I guess the teacher thinks Auggie is screwing with her because he’s got this big ole grin on his face. So she leans in, raises her voice a little, and says “cuh.”

Auggie leans in too, puts his elbows on the table, and raises his voice a little, “tuh.” The teacher repeats the syllable even louder; Auggie says “tuh” in his outside voice. They do this one more time, near-shouting at each other, both starting to laugh at this new game.

Of course, it’s at this point that  the owner of the tutoring center sends both of them a withering look. Quickly, the teacher moves on.

“Try Book,” the teacher says.

“Book,” says Auggie. He crosses his arms across his chest and leans back, looking over his shoulder to offer me a wide, chesire grin. It’s clear that this is his favorite game and, for this round, he’s won.

Tags: little heartbreakers

student-centered teaching experiment pt 1

I always try to make my lessons interesting for my students – and frankly, for me – but at the end of the semester, after I’ve introduced them to all of the issues I think they should know about, I let them pick the issues and topics we are going to discuss. As a class, they all offer up a few issues they’d like to learn about, and then they vote on one another’s topics until we have a few winners. This semester my 2 classes at School A picked a wide variety: everything from economics to science to human rights issues. So while they worked on their research papers over the weekend, I did my own research. 

For today’s classes, we are tackling the subject of gasoline; they wanted to know what goes into the cost, why it costs so much, and what’s the deal with oil futures. I had NO idea. I came into my am class with a 30-slide powerpoint presentation and the hope that they would all stay awake through it. (After all, a 30-min presentation is difficult at 10am in the morning). 

Shockingly, they did stay awake through my confusing economic mumbo-jumbo. They asked questions, they helped fill in my logic-gaps, and they all seemed excited to do the additional reading and online discussions. It was amazing. They’re not writing a paper on this… they could have just pretended to pay attention. I have seen them like this before, but this was so wonderfully unexpected. 

I can’t wait to see what the little bit that’s left of the semester brings.

this desk is not my desk

My computer is a little dead. It has a virus. It’s the kind that mocks you when you try to turn the computer on. The hubs will fix it, I’m sure, but right now I am at his computer desk instead of mine; it sort of feels like enemy territory. There’s paper all over the place, candy wrappers and chip bags shoved into drawers, and the keyboard is sitting on a mound of stuff marked “important.” It’s as if the whole space is telling me “you don’t belong here, woman.” And I really, really don’t.

I know it’s my own fault… but why would someone hide a virus on a puppy adoption website? What the hell? I mean, what kind of bad karma does that rack up to…

So yes. It’s a “blah” day. Hopefully tomorrow my computer will be back in action, and then I can tell you all about the wonderful school-related ridiculousness that has been going on.

a little vote of confidence

It’s been a pretty good first week back from break. Most of my students have showed back up, and the ones who needed to withdrawal have mostly done so. In my classes at School A, the students have a big say over what we learn about in the last few weeks. It’s always a bit unnerving – after all, they can pick anything as long as it’s “academic” – but it looks like we’re going to have fun. With the upcoming elections, and the economy still in the crapper, most of the students are looking at issues closer to home than in past semesters, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I mean, I don’t think you can be all that “globally aware” if you aren’t aware of what’s going on at home. The only trouble is now I have to figure out how to teach a bunch of topics in an interesting, non-biased way. That’s hard when it comes to politics. (Bias is sort of my schtick.)

On top of my classes going well, I am feeling pretty good about future prospects as well. I just found out today that I’ll have a full schedule for fall2012, and I’ve got the summer planned out, so even if I don’t get a FT position somewhere, I will still be fine – officially.

And finally, I had a pleasant thing happen with a student today. Elena, one of the ESL students that I lab assist for, told me that I “explain things so that she can actually understand it,” and asked to meet with me to get some tutoring outside of class. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to swing the scheduling – and I certainly won’t get paid – but if I were her, I’d want me to help.

THEN Elena, and the student next to her, Deana, asked if I was teaching any classes in the summer or fall because they’d “really like to have me for a teacher.”

So yeah. Little votes of confidence all over the place. I dig it.