BIIIIIIIIG WORK NEWS
So. Up till now, we've operated kind of like middle school--the kids rotate to the different 5th grade teachers for math, science, etc.
Well, we (along with 4th grade, who used the same system) got called into a meeting today. BASICALLY, each grade is losing a teacher, those kids are being filtered into the remaining classes, and, starting next week, WE'RE GOING TO BE SELF-CONTAINED.
That means I keep my kids all day, like the kind of classrooms we remember in elementary school. Thus, I also teach ALL SUBJECTS, starting Tuesday (we don't have school on Monday, which is nice 'cuz that's my birthday--did I mention that?). =-)
Yeah. This is a big deal to me, since I've never actually TAUGHT all subjects.
Part of me is okay with it, but there are 5th graders I love who I'm not going to have as students anymore. So that sucks. I did, however, get rid of some of the kids I can't stand, and I got to keep some real sweethearts. (You should have seen us today. We were like the NBA draft, making deals and trading kids.) However, there are now certain kids who drive me bonkers whom I have ALL DAY LONG.
Soo....I don't know. We don't have a lot of time to get used to this. There will be fallout from some parents, as class sizes are bigger, some kids will be very upset and some parents preferred certain teachers that their kids may not have anymore). We aren't telling the kids till last hour on Thursday, when a letter goes home (no school for them the next day; it's an in-service on Friday). This will be HARD for some of them, especially kids who got close to a particular teacher). BUT, all in all, I have a decent group of kids. Tuesday, though, will be like starting the year all over again. But hey, that's not always a bad thing.
And....at least I still have a job.
6 comments:
Wow. Yeah, at least you aren't one of the teachers being eliminated!
I would think lots of teachers would prefer to do it the way you WERE, since it kinda helps to break up the day and lets you not spend all day with freak kids that you don't like :-)
Big changes for the kids, too. I'm sure it'll take some time to get used to it!
Yeah, wow. That's quite a big change.
I don't understand how they can hire you to teach in a certain way and then totally change the job in the middle of the year and give you less than a week to learn how to teach subjects you've never taught before.
But, like you & Renee noted- at least you still have a job. Way to roll with the punches and do what needs to be done!
I just don't understand why this is being done during the school year. I mean, I understand budget cuts and all that happy horseshit, but why not figure out something else for now and make those changes for next year. Me, personally, I think the way that your school was doing this was great. I'd rather be in a classroom where my teacher specializes in the subject, rather than just going through the motions, ya know? Maybe I'm just being grouchy right now, I don't know.
I hope things work out well for everybody and that the transition goes smoothly.
The main reason is to cut down on the time "off task," aka the time between classes every hour. Add it up and it's a good half hour at least. Over the course of a week, a month, that's a LOT more teaching time. I don't know. I'm adjusting.
Ps....science will still suck though.
I just can't wait till Thurs to tell the kids and see how they take it. It's so hard not telling any of them, or their parents, etc. We had a meeting with the parents of a ESE kid, and he's going to be in MY room all the time now, and I wanted to tell them and I couldn't yet till it's officially announced.
Yeah, well, good luck with that whole thing then.
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