After discovering that we wouldn't be able to make it until my first paycheck until September without charging a whole lot to the credit card, I went and asked about receiving a paycheck for August--since, I had like worked since August 9 technically....
Well, they weren't too promising in the business office at first because payroll had already been done. But, they did call me back yesterday and say they could advance me something from my next paycheck (or two). And I gratefully said "please". Yes, one of the many frustrating elements of being a first year teacher in Texas is that if you work one of the early starting schools who don't make adjustments for the fiscal year starting in September, you work for free for a month. But, we now have something to work with until the great first payday.
Things are still appearing to go relatively well. A lot baffles me from my students sometimes...but hey, it's their choice on whether or not they care enough to ask for help and try. In terms of math mistakes they make, I can understand most of them and what they are thinking so as to correct it. Some mistakes.....I just don't get. The hardest part of this job for me is to "bring myself down to their level" of thinking. Gratefully, a student was switched out of my second/sixth period class to first/fifth. Meaning controlling that second period class might be a hair more easier--not because the class is smaller, because one of the extremely talkative and distracting students was moved out.
The principals keep putting their heads in the door here and there too. Except they never check in on second/sixth period....At any rate, it makes me grateful even if sometimes they happen to look in when students are being rather talkative in my fourth or eighth period classes. Yesterday it was actually rather amusing. We had just finished going over a problem and many students had exclaimed "I'm getting it" so there was quite a bit of murmuring going on when the principal stuck his head and in and I was saying "Come back to me my childrens" We try to have fun where we can in my classes. Eighth period yesterday I started off with four absent and another three or four ended up leaving early.
So that's a bit of amusement and going-ons this week for me.
Posted by Anna at August 27, 2005 11:00 AM | TrackBack