It's been a long time.

So, unless you live under a rock, you should be aware that California has a bit of a crisis in regards to the teaching and education community.  This is something that does not bode well for someone like me, an aspiring teacher. 

With the economy the way it is overall, "layoffs," "budget cuts," and "unemployment" have become frequent discussions in the household.  My concern is when these discussions hit the households of an educator.  Perhaps I am biased, but I am starting to feel like one of very few people with their head on straight.  

Why is it always so acceptable to jeopardize the educations of the youth in this country?  Here we have a president that has finally put the emphasis on education that is so long over due, but we have a governor that is so willing to cut billions out of the budget (do I need to remind you that Schwarzenegger ran on a platform where he said he would not cut from education)?  And then, on top of it all, they put out a Proposition set (1A-F) that couples a FANTASTIC 9 billion dollars back into education (Prop 1B) with an evil, diabolical, and deceitful tax extension/raise that is being disguised as a "spending cap" (Prop 1A).  Why is this such a problem, you wonder?  Because if Prop 1A fails, Prop 1B fails too.  This places so many people in a horrific predicament - do I vote for taxes that I can't afford to pay, or do I give up on the public education system and put thousands of California teachers out of work?  I for one will never vote against education, because you cannot put a price on the future of a child.

I recently attended the John and Ken Tax Revolt 2009 with my boyfriend in Downtown Fullerton, California.  We were among the minority there (being under 30, not upper class, liberals), and I can certainly say that I do not stand for almost anything that John and Ken do, but I must agree with the basic premise of this so called "revolt."  The governator has got to go, and so do the bigwigs up in Sacramento.  Say "so long" to the days of political divides, it is just one big clusterfuck.  But I will never, ever support the concept that it is okay to cut from education, which seems to be an idea that J&K are more than fine with.  They consistently call teachers "greedy" on their show, and talk about how they just want to suck money from every avenue possible.  Is it greedy that I want to have a job come fall?  Is it greedy that I went to school for an extra year to get a credential so I could teach children, while not being paid for all of the work that I did and am doing?  I am not greedy, it is politicians that are greedy.  It is republicans that are greedy.  It is democrats that are greedy.

Someday, I will be governor of California.  But for now, I just want a job.  Is that so greedy?

Student Teachers Get the Short End of the Stick.

My master teacher called out yesterday.  And today.  Which would be fine, except they call in a substitute teacher that gets to sit around and do NOTHING for two class periods while I teach the class.  And who gets paid?  They do.  Not me.

That is so frustrating.  And I theoretically could substitute for my teacher, but the district has to have openings for substitutes so that I can be employed as one and so they can pay me for that.

It is very frustrating.  I want money.  Sigh.

My Feelings

One of our teachers at the school I am at passed away over the long weekend.  This is always one of those slightly odd "in limbo" situations for me. Do I appologize for the loss?  It's not my fault or anyone else's, so is that what I should do?  I am never exactly sure.  I didn't even actually know this person - though he was a science teacher and I spent some time talking to their department head.  regardless, it is very bizarre - to think someone who is, for all intents and purposes, a colleague, has died, is weird.

When a coworker of mine at Best Buy died a little less than a year ago, even those who did not know him well were affected.  That is not too different from now, because, like my store was one store, it is one school that feels a loss.

The students are supposed to be writing about their feelings, which is why I wrote this.  It has been a strange morning - they came in quiet and have remained that way.  One student went down to the campus theater to talk to the school psychologists, I think he may be on the water polo team that the teacher coached.  

The Death of the Writer's Notebook?

Our new quarter started on November 10, and since then we have not done a single writer's notebook entry, which accounts for my absence.  

A few things have happened, however, that are certainly noteworthy.  One, I was observed by my instructor in my 2nd period Junior class.  It went great - my kids were wonderful (that is probably my favorite class) and my teacher loved them, as well as me.  I was very excited.  I have my observation of my Freshmen tomorrow, so we shall see how that goes.  Discipline is something that may be an issue with them, because as I have previously noted, they are very immature.

I guess the only other exciting thing is that I am writing a test for my Juniors on The Crucible.  I think I am done with it, but I need to maybe cut out 3 questions, so that it is easier to assign point values.  Stupid logistical stuff, but it is weird how important that kind of thing can be.

Goals for this week (it is only a 3 day week...):

1.  Have a good observation.

2.  Finish Night with the freshmen.

3.  Give a successful test that the kids don't fail horribly.

Entry #17 - My Reflection on the First Quarter

Although this isn't my first quarter of high school ever, it is my first quarter of high school in this role.  I'm trying to decide whether or not it is more or less than I expected, and what sorts of ideas I have had to put behind me.  It has been interesting for me - but more importantly, it has gone extremely fast.  I am shocked that the first quarter is already done, and that means that after this next quarter, these classes will be my classes.  That is almost as exciting as it is terribly frightening, because I will have sole responsibility over the minds of about 100 students.  I have the opportunity to make a huge impact or to do nothing at all - and it is not all up to me, because the students have so much to do with what happens in the classroom.

I am also coming to a close on my first semester of classes in the credential program.  Those classes have been far less stressful than I would have originally imagined, and I am overall pretty happy with what happened... except I somehow feel that they left me under prepared.  But I always have a looming fear of being under-prepared.  I suppose, come February, we shall see.

As far as a reflection on my students from this first quarter, I am overall pretty pleased with the amount of diversity that I have and the very different personalities represented in my classes.  Although I wish I had more students that fell into the exceptional category, I do have to remember that most of them are doing their best, and as long as I know that, that is all that matters.  They are far more complex than they let on, which I only know because of things like their writer's notebooks and, for my juniors, their journal entries.  

I look forward to the next quarter, and seeing what I can do.

A Day in History.

One of my juniors asked my master teacher who she was voting for.  Of course, she can't answer that question - but it lead me wondering two things.  One, who was she voting for?  And, two, why didn't anyone ask me?  I only ponder the first question because I think, in California, who you vote for really does say a lot about your beliefs, because we are a guaranteed blue state.  And, of course, because I am nosy and think that kind of thing is my business.

But two really intrigues me more, because do they assume that because I am a young person that I would vote a certain way?  Generally I have no qualms about stating my political affiliations, as I do not believe I should have to hide my beliefs.  But, the position of teacher holds an interesting conundrum for me on that level.  We have been taught repeatedly in our education classes that our beliefs - political, religious, etc - must be checked at the door.  This, I have observed through seeing so many of my fellow credential candidates, won't be such an easy thing for many people.  But how easy will it be for me, too?  

What the most important thing to realize, on this day, is what a great day in history this is.  This is regardless of whether or not you think Obama should have won this election.  Think:  it was September 22, 1862 when Abraham Lincoln made the Emancipation Proclamation.  Today, November 4, 2008, an African-American has been elected to be the President of that same United States of America.  This is a day in history, no matter if you are a supporter of Obama or not.

Tonight, I am proud to be an American.

Entry #16 - My Role Within The Family

In my immediate family, I am the baby.  When I lived at home, I didn't really have chores or many responsibilities, because my mom didn't work.  I was also the annoying little sister - a part I played all too well for my mean older brother!  Now that I don't live at home, my role is to get done with school and get a job so that I can pay my parents back someday.  Not something I look forward to (the paying back part, I mean).

I don't feel as though I have a role yet in my extended family.  I am too old to be one of the "kids," but too young to be married and have kids of my own.  I almost feel as though it is easy for me to slip into the abyss of my family and be overwhelmed by all of the large personalities therein - which I don't really mind, oddly enough.

As for now, living on my own, my role is to be a good mother to my two kittens, and a good friend and roommate, which is much harder than it sounds when I have to balance everything else in my life, too.