Check out this storm cellar in my mom and Fred's home in OK! Just kidding... their storm cellar is beneath the staircase, but isn't this where you'd really love to be if a tornado was headed your way? 

guilty much?

That is a guilty look if I ever saw one.

how's it going? not good...

So I am just under 1 month into my teaching experience and I am contemplating ending it there... (the experience, that is... nothing any more dramatic than that). Even with the advice of my peer teachers, things have not improved in the classroom. The overwhelming attitude of 38 8th graders still rears its ugly head... in fact most days, I am waiting for the bell to ring as much as they are... and the faster I can get to my car and cry, the better.
But some exciting things have happened since my start... let's see... I broke up a fight, was warned that a separate fight might occur, handed out endless detentions, dodged objects in flight (including a stool), nearly lost my voice from having to constantly talk over them. Funny part is, I can't really recall many instances when I have done any teaching. I am simply babysitting... and not a very good job at that (as seen in examples above).
So I ask myself, "Is it worth continuing?"

Answer: TBA

Oh the joy of 8th graders

So some of you know that I have started a new job (and some of you might be keeping score that, yes, technically that means I am up to 3 jobs now) teaching 8th grade Art at a local middle school. Since I have only experienced 1 week of these students, I am going to keep this entry short and to the point in order to not discourage myself from the learning process of it all. Hopefully, I will be able to add more as my time with them progresses through the remainder of the school year (I am already counting the days left). 

Basically, it was... to say the least, not easy... and not fun. Factors such as class size (38 students) and school geography/socio-economical status, added with my inexperience produced a depressing result to my first week as a teacher: failure. But, I am always up for a challenge, so I am not giving up... it's a learning experience, and I am soaking it all in.

I can sum these 8th graders up in 2 statements:

1. They make the gang-affiliated, incarcerated youth offenders I teach through Juvenile Probation seem like angels.

2. One student drew me a sketch on the first day of my instruction that was titled "Welcome To hell."

Enough said...