Salvete.
I passed my PPR. That's good. For any layperson reading this who does not know what the PPR is, it is the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibility test. That is a fancy name for "The test that keeps you from your certification if you fail it." That was the gateway I had required myself to pass through in order to [re]begin applying to districts in the Dallas area. I knew I was going to pass it, but I wanted to be able to tell my (hopefully) future employers that I was ready and able to apply for my permanent certificate.
Here are a few tips for the day you go take your PPR.
-Get there hella early. Those proctors are grouchy. Being late is extremely stressful.
-Print out your entry ticket off of the ETS website. Those proctors are grouchy.
-Do not forget your driver's license. Those proctors are grouchy.
-The ETS website may very well tell you the wrong room number. My test was in a completely different building than ETS told me.
-Bring two pencils (duh).
-Eat breakfast. OMG. That test is long, and boring. If you are easily distracted, hunger will work as well as anything to take your mind off of what you are doing.
-The classroom on the PPR is not a real classroom. It is a classroom in fairy tale land. These are not real scenarios. These are not real teachers. You know this is the case because you have cooperative parents, twenty students in a class, and every material you could ever want at your fingertips.
-When you are done, get out of there and go have a drink.
In other news, I am tired of this school year. Here is a list of the things of which I have become tired:
-gossip
-laziness
-team meetings where we don't anything done
-disrespectful children (not just towards me, but towards each other)
-tardies
-absences
-paperwork
-pressure
-TAKS
-early wake-ups
-late work
I'm sure there's more, but I am moving on. Here is a list of things I like about teaching:
-sweet children
-helpful parents
-PTA, or VIPS, or whatever it is called
-getting off work
-tutorials
-my coworkers
-Latin
-Microsoft PowerPoint
Eh, that's all the effort I can put into the good list.
I'm still feeling disillusioned. I've been sort of depressed the last week or so. Getting to see my love last weekend helped a lot, and hanging out last night with my friend who has recently moved here also helped. I haven't been home since January 4th, and that is wearing on me. However, when I am home, I want to be at my apartment where things are convenient and I know where everything is. Alas! Eheu! It seems we are never satisfied.
In keeping with the spirit of today's apparent theme of bulleted lists, here is a list of things I want to do differently next year, from the outset:
-refuse to take crappy work.
-enforce deadlines...if you don't turn it in, I'm not taking it beyond three days late.
-I do this with Latin now, but I didn't from the outset: have the missing assignment sheet for the kids to sign and give a reason if they don't have their work.
-if you want to borrow a pencil, you have to give me something in return. I will be holding all loanable writing utensils hostage.
-call parents more often
-find a different way to hand back graded papers
-find a more efficient way for kids to turn their papers in (right now they have to put the paper in my hand to turn it in, which isn't too bad, but it confuses some of them)
-put a stamp or a check or something on their journal every day when they do it. It will be easier to keep track of credit.
-show them how I want the journal set up. TIP: MODEL EVERYTHING
That's all for now.
Valete,
Magistra
2 comments:
Hey girl,
Always good to read your posts. I am reading a book right now called, "Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire" by Rafe Esquith. No, it is not your typical Harry Wong (or whatever his name is) pedagogy book. This guy is a teacher at an inner city LA school and is unlike any teacher I've ever met. For example, he teaches English language learners to read and UNDERSTAND Shakespeare. The book has really great ideas, and I totally recommend that you read it.
In regards to what you said about refusing to take crappy work, here is what Rafe does - this might take a bit of extra work on your part in the beginning, but in the end, it'll be well worth it. Rafe accepts the homework, and if the students score below 90%, he DOESN'T grade it and returns it for a "dreaded rewrite." The students redo it until they get above a 90%. He says at first, most every student has to redo their assignment one or two times, but as the year progresses, students realize that they do not want to waste their time redoing work, so they do it right the first time! That said, he also recommends giving some class time for homework because, "they have peers and their teacher to consult when questions arise, and the classroom is almost always more conducive to quality work than home, with siblings screaming and television sets blasting."
Anyway, read the book! I PROMISE you'll like it. (Oh and he also brings up standardized testing and how to deal with it.)
Hooray, I'm caught up! I know how much you like comments, so here's a big one: I love you!
I was going to write that disillusionment is something everyone has to deal with at the outset of their professional life, but honestly, I'm not sure that's true. Be that as it may, I wouldn't even be quick to call your state "disillusionment" for the simple fact that you were well-informed on the realities of teaching before you started. Maybe it's spliting hairs, but as someone who is a professional sufferer of disillusionment, I think it's a worthwhile point. Perhaps you're disappointed that the realities are, well, real, but you still seem largely satisfied with your job, if frustrated with the beaurocratic/managerial hamperings on efficiency and sometimes-pervasive apathy.
Sometimes things are not as bad as you think. Fear not, for I love you.
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