So what do I feel after my third year? Well, the weird thing for me, this past year, I did more running around, was busier and was more stressed than my first two years without question. I thought as the years went on, in teaching, it was all supposed to get easier. That didn’t seem to be the case. I remember during my first year, I seemed to have so much free time. This year, any free period I had, I was running around like a nut.
This year, my schedule changed mid-year. Not a bad thing, I lost a good class but got another good class. My “lunch” period was taken away, so I now had lunch at like 10:00. This allowed me to get to know a teacher I wouldn’t normally have gotten to know as well – so that was good.
The main thing, I am worried about this younger crop of kids. I had sophomores last year, and they were rough. I thought it was a bad crop and moved on. Then I had THIS year’s kids. They made me long for last year’s.
I know what people will say, I know the standard response… but honestly so many times I feel like it is a losing battle. That these kids really, REALLY don’t care. Again though, these are sophomores, and they go through that magic transition from sophomore to junior year where they become human and as a result… bearable.
But is it too late? They have messed up for two years and now decide to get on track… when they do, I can’t believe they don’t feel totally overwhelmed by having to essentially make up for two years of jerking around.
One saving grace though… football.
Last year I was the assistant JV football coach and my God was it time consuming. I basically had no days off from September to the end of November. And it was a great season. Our JV won our division… and I couldn’t have been more proud. In a climate where everyone wants to be the stand out… the “superstar,” these kids pulled together as a team, and kicked ass. We lost one game last season… our first. They did not like the taste of losing. We won every single game after that – seven in a row.
This year, things are going to be a little different. First off, I am now the assistant VARSITY coach. My head coach was “promoted” to varsity, and he took me with him. The other thing that is going to be different (I hope) is that we are trying to make a PROGRAM at the school.
One of the major complaints is that my school has ZERO school spirit. Unfortunately, I agree with that sentiment. In every school I’ve been to, every school I’ve worked at, school spirit resides with how well your teams do. Hopefully with this new regime, our team will be more than just OK, and as a result, school spirit will increase.
It was embarrassing to see that more people would attend our JV games than would attend the varsity games. That isn’t saying much, either, we didn’t have stellar attendance, but your varsity is the main event. That’s where the people should be. Part of my job is to get butts in the stands. I am also recruiting every member of my family to work.
The last JV game last year, I had my mom and sister selling shirts, another sister taping the game, the Mrs. was shooting photos. This year, I plan on more of the same... including nephews and cousins - taking stats, being water boy, holding flags if necessary. It's going to be a family event.
Just a taste:
So what did I learn this last year?
1) Be more prepared for the day. Free periods should be free.
2) Be a jackass early on. If you are nice at first, they take that as softness and from there it is an uphill battle.
3) Get parents involved more. When momma or papi knows that their kiddy is being rude or skipping or whatever, things do change.
I’m sure there are other things, but I haven’t had coffee yet and I wanted to update since I haven’t in forever.
Things to come in the next few days:
Summer School – Crappier than it Sounds
Students Using their Crappy Lives to Their Advantage
I Can’t Believe this Crappy Summer is Over Already
