Well, here I stand, 2 days before the beginning of spring semester and recently returned from 9 glorious days in California. The time with my family was glorious, as always, and I didn’t really do much. I had a head cold the entire time, so it was a nice excuse to lay around as much as I wanted to. Highlights include seeing South Coast Repertory’s production of “A Christmas Carol” (a MUST if you’re ever in Orange County around the holidays) and bawling my eyes out, surfing with my family at Newport Beach on Christmas day, and eating Chipotle and In-n-Out like it was my job.
Now that I’m back in southern Arkansas, my attitude towards being here and towards teaching in general has gone up and down like a yo-yo. One minute I’m feeling good about teaching, and the next I’m wondering what I’m earth I’m doing here and why I ever wanted to be a teacher. My attitude is mostly good, but I have my moments.
I’m trying to get over the jet lag as fast as possible, but I’m still tired and feel kind of “off”. This is one of the many reasons I returned to Arkansas a week early instead of staying in California until the last minute.
I’m spending these last few days cleaning out my classroom, putting up twinkly lights, and re-organizing everything. I’m re-reading the First Days of School and hopefully I’ll be implementing more procedures in my class this semester. One thing I really want to do this semester is have a consistent format for class; I want my kids to know exactly what’s going to happen and exactly what’s expected of them during each part of class.
Big surprise, I’m having problems with money again. I spent a lot of money travelling to and from California, and my debt just keeps growing and growing. Meanwhile I’m here in southern Arkansas, and there are lots of things I need/want for my classroom and my house that would make my life a lot easier. I’m so frustrated that to be an effective teacher in my situation, I basically have to spend money out of my own pocket.
I’m optimistic about this semester. I think it’s going to be a lot better.
