Summer School-Part 1

Summer school is half over, and we now have a week break-due to the 4th of July.

What can I say? This team teaching thing has been nothing but interesting and a little stressful. There are 2 other teachers, besides me (A and P). There are also 2 aides and a therapist that comes in a few days a week to work with certain kids. It is one of the teachers that is causing the stress. I get along just fine with A and we are on the same page as far as routines and teaching styles. The problem is with P, and we both have a problem with P. The first week, A and I took turns with the projects, but I always did calendar because I had the songs that went along with it. The second week, P took over the teaching and did everything completely different. I had a days of the week and months of the year song-the kids were finally starting to learn them and sing along. P decided that she was going to do a different days of the week song, and a different one every day, and not do one at all on some days. Talk about messing with routine. Calendar time also got longer and louder when P was running it (Friday it lasted 35 minutes!!!!) And she kept changing the projects we had decided on before school started to put on the calendar we sent home to parents at the beginning. She seems to be taking an easy route and doing projects that don't involve cutting or gluing (which after a 35 minute calendar time is good or they would get no play time!!!)

Luckily, P has no projects or teaching time in the last 2 weeks, so A and I can get the kids back on track and into the routine. P has been teaching this for 3 years and is also a substitute teacher for a number of years. Makes you wonder what your classroom would look like if she was your sub for the day. As a teacher, you would think you understand the importance of routine, especially when the kids are 5!!!!

The kids are great!! We have 33 of them, and not all show up on any given day-which is nice. There are a few kids who like to cause problems, but with 5 adults it usually doesn't last long!!

So, I am having a good time this summer with the exception of having to work with P. A and I are both going to request that we not work with P next year. And the site coordinator seems to understand our frustrations. Are they that desperate for Kindergarten Readiness teachers that they will keep the ones that seem to have problems?? Even the teacher whose room we are in complained about the way things were left last year. I can see it, after what is going on this year.

Now I get to enjoy my week away from the chaos and remember that P has no more lead teaching to do for the rest of summer school!!! Routine, we are coming back to find you!!!!!!

Random Thoughts

It has been a while since I posted and while nothing interesting has happened, I will post some random thoughts about the last month or so. Forgive me for having no specific order to this!!

*Summer school starts next week. (And I am pretty sure that it is going to be blog worthy. 3 teachers, 2 aides, 32 kids, and a high school helper all in one room. I'll keep you posted on that one!!)

*4th year teaching summer school, 4th school. Still Kindergarten Readiness, and this year it was kinda up to me. I could have been at the same school as last year, but the teacher who's room I was in said that she would only teach if she could be in her own room. So, being the bigger person, I said that I would move to a new school, as long as it was still kindergarten. I am not so sure about this placement, so keep checking back for updates!!

*Glad I added the Kimberly School District to my subbing list this year, because they came through a lot more than Menasha.

*3 teachers left Sylvan-yeah for us, more hours!!! Wrong, they have hired a new girl who already has more hours than I do next week. (I have the most seniority of the teachers, but that means nothing at Sylvan) I could do a whole post on my frustrations with Sylvan, but I will not.

*With subbing for 3 years, I have been able to get a lot of reading done. In the past 3 years, I have read the Harry Potter series, the Twilight series, the newest V.C Andrews series, and several other random books that don't belong to a series. Yeah reading!!!

*Had 2 rummage sales, one with a friend and one where I just sent stuff with mom to grandma's. The 2nd one was more successful, but we still have stuff left that I have to decide what to do with. Thank goodness we have a house with a basement and don't live in the apartment anymore.

*My cousins youngest had his 1st birthday and got to go to IL to celebrate. Another 1 year party coming up next weekend.

*We got new living room carpet. Went from blue to "native clay" (light brown with flecks of other shades mixed in)

*Spent a lot of time with my godson and his sister (their parents too!!)

*Saw a hypnotist at a new comedy club in the valley. That was hilarious-one guy almost took off his pants, until the hypnotist noticed that he was not wearing underwear!!! I have never seen someone move quite that fast.

*Got 20 free tickets to the same comedy club for Friday and looking forward to hanging out with some friends and seeing a comedian.

I think that about covers what has been happening since my last post. Look for a new post next week as summer school starts and I will have more time as I have lost hours at Sylvan for next week!!!