In my fourteen years in a classroom, I've never been so grieviously mistreated by a parent as I was today.
Well, except for the two other times I had contact with this person.
Sigh.
* Hamlet, Act III, sc. i
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Teacher Aides and Friendships
Unless I know a student by reputation, I require all of my aides to be former students. This semester I had an extraordinary girl, who kept me organized (she understood that was her primary job), told me to pass papers back, made lists of kids who needed to take make-up tests, made up keys to grade things because she was tired of waiting around for me to do it, and generally cracked the whip while I jumped. It was great.
She was a student of mine in middle school, and then again in 10th grade. And she has been a regular drop-in after school for years, this year often doing aide work gratis while waiting there to meet her sister after school. She even organizes work and leaves written directions for the other aides, because I don't take time to do it often, and once class is running, I seldom find time to give them any instructions. That's bad, because then aides are sitting behind my desk not knowing what to do. Well, that doesn't happen with Sara around.
The semester is ending, so I get a new set of aides. Three is the right number for me, and all of the new ones coming in have been waiting at least a year to spend their elective sitting behind my desk. All three are very orgainzed and trustworthy, and I think one of them can take the role of The Organizer that is being left open by Sara's departure (no, Jessica, I don't have you lined up for your sister's position, though I know you'll do a fine job).
Sara is calling a meeting for the three new aides, in my room tommorw at lunch, for an orientation to being my aide. I don't know what she has in mind, but it could include showing them the paper flow and how to operate the gradebook program on my laptop (she's totally trustworthy), and in what ways they will be able to be especially useful to me (by nagging me to pass papers back, etc., etc.). She didn't tell me to be there, so I'm just going to sit in the corner, eat my lunch, and try not to get in her way. Things always go better that way.
I can just hear her: "Look, you guys know how much of an idiot he is, so here's what you're going to have to do…"
Oh, the title promised friendships. They're all my friends, and it's going to be a pleasure to have them as regular parts of my day.
She was a student of mine in middle school, and then again in 10th grade. And she has been a regular drop-in after school for years, this year often doing aide work gratis while waiting there to meet her sister after school. She even organizes work and leaves written directions for the other aides, because I don't take time to do it often, and once class is running, I seldom find time to give them any instructions. That's bad, because then aides are sitting behind my desk not knowing what to do. Well, that doesn't happen with Sara around.
The semester is ending, so I get a new set of aides. Three is the right number for me, and all of the new ones coming in have been waiting at least a year to spend their elective sitting behind my desk. All three are very orgainzed and trustworthy, and I think one of them can take the role of The Organizer that is being left open by Sara's departure (no, Jessica, I don't have you lined up for your sister's position, though I know you'll do a fine job).
Sara is calling a meeting for the three new aides, in my room tommorw at lunch, for an orientation to being my aide. I don't know what she has in mind, but it could include showing them the paper flow and how to operate the gradebook program on my laptop (she's totally trustworthy), and in what ways they will be able to be especially useful to me (by nagging me to pass papers back, etc., etc.). She didn't tell me to be there, so I'm just going to sit in the corner, eat my lunch, and try not to get in her way. Things always go better that way.
I can just hear her: "Look, you guys know how much of an idiot he is, so here's what you're going to have to do…"
Oh, the title promised friendships. They're all my friends, and it's going to be a pleasure to have them as regular parts of my day.
Free at Last
The quarter-long prep class for sophomores taking the California High School Exit Exam had its last meeting today, and I couldn't be more relieved. It was a grind.
Some of the kids were sweet, but some of them were very difficult. Attention spans like goldfish. I was talked into doing this by one of the APs, and enough years had gone by since I had done something like this that I'd forgotten how exasperating it is.
We met four days a week (Fridays off, thank God!), and at the end of that hour, I was so exhausted, I went straight home.
Besides, I miss the kids hanging out after school. I hadn't realized how pleasnat that is intill it stopped. Now most of them have gotten out of the habit, though some still show up on Fridays. I wonder how long it will take to re-establish the old pattern. Heh: I might be surprised by how quickly they come back.
Some of the kids were sweet, but some of them were very difficult. Attention spans like goldfish. I was talked into doing this by one of the APs, and enough years had gone by since I had done something like this that I'd forgotten how exasperating it is.
We met four days a week (Fridays off, thank God!), and at the end of that hour, I was so exhausted, I went straight home.
Besides, I miss the kids hanging out after school. I hadn't realized how pleasnat that is intill it stopped. Now most of them have gotten out of the habit, though some still show up on Fridays. I wonder how long it will take to re-establish the old pattern. Heh: I might be surprised by how quickly they come back.
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