the june bug

Didn’t I learn anything at all from this past year? Well, yes, but apparently not time management. Once again, I’ve managed to over-commit myself, a cardinal sin in the teaching profession – particularly when you are just starting out – and am feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and behind in my work. This is the summer – I’m supposed to be sitting by Sardis and relaxing! Fortunately, the first week of summer school at Holly Springs has passed, and with it the bulk of my teaching responsibilities. However, there are still a number of assignments, tests and commitments that must be done or met in the coming weeks. Nothing in and of itself too intimidating, but factor in a daily two-hour commute back to the Delta and nightly three-hour long play rehearsals and you’re looking at a recipe for burnout. I think I’ve pulled more all-nighters this month than I did all spring. And I’m making it, somehow, but my car isn’t. After a weekend of abuse at Bonnaroo, it’s telling me to give it a break. Last night, post-rehearsal, my car wouldn’t start, again. I jumped it, again, and this time decided on bucking for a new battery. So under a midnight moon and swarmed by blood-horny mosquitos I put in a fancy new battery and breathed a sigh of relief when the ignition kicked in smoothly moments later. I had been panicking about making it to Oxford to class the next day, having already missed my allotted one in order to sleep in a field with 100,000 other sweaty, happy people with Sting, Ben Harper and Widespread Panic serenading us in Tennessee. After a brief nap, I was awake again and packing the car to make the drive north up Route 61. Never happened. Within a few miles of Leland, my car (which started just fine) began to lurch and I watched while the RPMs raced and my speedometer slugged. Having been witness to the death of one vehicle in similar fashion already this week, I turned around and went back to Leland. Guess I’ll be losing some more points off my grade.

So now I’m sitting here lesson planning, exhausted and sweaty, and waiting to hear how much damage was done from the shop downtown. I’ve got to somehow get to Oxford tonight, or at least by tomorrow morning, as well as make it back and forth three more times until show-time this weekend. My account is looking like a fourth graders piggy bank penny savings, and I have some rather hefty expenses taunting me on the horizon. On that note, how about some advice for the first years; Don’t over-commit yourself. Obviously, do as I say not as I do. This is a lesson I’m still trying to learn myself. You can’t save every child, you can’t start or join every club/team, you can’t make every lesson plan revolutionary or grade everything you collect, you can’t have much of a social life (or at least one similar to what you are used to most likely), you can’t read all of those books you’ve been meaning to read, or watch those movies you’ve been meaning to watch, you can’t talk to friends or family for hours on the phone making it tough to keep up with them all, and you can’t get out and enjoy the Delta as much as you’d like. Now, you can do a portion of all of those things; all in moderation. And that’s just what you have to do. Learn how to say no, prioritize and be organized. I felt I needed the occasional jog, several hour long phone call, good book and time-consuming extra-curricular in order to stay sane. But it’s difficult to find the balance.

And while we’re on the topic of busy summer’s, how about a few things I would do if I were a first year – which, actually, are things that I will be doing since I am, for all intents and purposes, a first year due to school switching. Get housing early, as soon as possible, and make as many trips to your new house/apt as you need to in order to get as much of the furniture, appliances and utilities as you can before the school year begins. You will be busy this summer – good. Get used to it. The busier your summer is, the more prepared you will be for the fall and the more you’ll have gotten done now that you won’t have to do later. Per housing, I would recommend living in your school community if possible. I would have preferred this. Also, get your syllabus written, at least a basic version, and plan your first couple weeks of lessons. Not the Monroe lesson plan – just basically what objectives you plan on covering and what exactly you’ll be doing to fill the period. Also, have a BUNCH of filler exercises/activities in a folder and ready if you need them. This can range from ‘get to know you’ games to mini-lessons (such as a short story to read and respond to for English), sudoku’s, word games, trivia, etc. To go along with that, plan out your whole year as much as you can (again, just what you want to be covering each term so you have a general outline). And an MTC tip, get your teacher corps work done ahead of time if possible. You don’t need to turn in stellar work, but do make sure you turn all of the assignments in. They are easy to lose track of, or ignore, and that will catch up with you.

I’ll be moving to Moss Point in July, after I get back from Costa Rica, and starting over new as well. I’m teaching a new grade, so new content, and have a new set of rules and policies to familiarize myself with. I’m nervous, and excited. I’m heading into my second, first year.