Throughout my life, certain events and times of the year have affected me in different ways. For example, each season of the year has a clear and precise "feel" for me. I love brisk fall days that make me think of football. Those first few days of the spring when the winter starts to thaw out are among my favorite days of any year, especially since my time at Fordham. For those of you who aren't Rams, I swear to you that there is NOTHING like the first few days of spring at Rose Hill.
Along these lines are the days of the week. Each day not only brings the different activities of my life but also distinct emotions. Out of the seven, the day that stands out the most is Sunday. Sunday speaks volumes of the religious foundations of our nation. It is celebrated by almost all Americans, regardless of their religious beliefs, as a day of rest. Our friends in New England still have Blue Laws that ban the sale of alcohol on Sundays thanks to their Puritan predecessors. Everything takes on a slower pace on Sunday, from driving to maybe sleeping a little later. The only thing that's a bit mad on Sundays is the supermarket....total craziness which I have learned to avoid.
Sunday also brings with it a massive clock that just ticks off the seconds until Monday. The moment you wake up on Sunday morning is the beginning of the end of your weekend. Sunday mornings are fantastic. Coffee, CBS Sunday Morning and a nice breakfast are just some of the things that make Sunday mornings my favorite. During the fall, the 1:00 football game starts the afternoon but once you hit the 4:00 game you realize that the weekend is quickly disappearing. In my life, Sunday nights have started with a nice dinner (once with my family, now with my wife) and finished with Barry's tea and 60 Minutes. It's about this time that I wish I could punch 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 into a computer and restart the timer on the day (hopefully my readers are also viewers of "Lost" otherwise that fantastic reference was a total waste.)
I don't like Sunday nights. I used to hate Sunday nights but now I just don't like them. Sunday nights used to make me feel sick, primariy because I never did my school work and would soon have to pay the consequences for my laziness. Sunday's nights don't make me feel sick anymore but they do make me long for my favorite time of any week: Friday at 3:30 PM.
It's now 7:30 on Sunday night. The Jets game is coming to a close, with 60 Minutes and a cup of Barry's soon to follow. It's time to get ready to go back to the grind tomorrow and start the countdown until Friday afternoon.
Hope you have a great week.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
From the Back to the Front
School
It was a word that filled me with dread everytime I heard it. Grammar school was not necessarily a very impressive time for me. At best I was a relatively bright kid who was just a little lazy. At worst I was a wise ass who didn't do any work and more importantly, didn't know when to shut up. The word that was used the most during my adolescence was "potential." I heard it all the time from my parents and teachers. "If you just worked to your potential....." which quickly went in one ear and out the other. I could never focus on my school work even when I knew that I had to. I would procrastinate all day and as the school day approached I would make myself sick over the thought of what it had in store. Missed projects, poor test grades and not reaching my "potential" were just some of the things that plagued my time as a student. I was also caught up in being the class clown. In 5th grade my friend and I managed to play a full game of "Blades of Steel" on a Gameboy we had snuck into class. In 8th grade I pretended I had a twin brother during a class with a substitute (note: I did this by coming into the room multiple times either with or without my glasses on and sitting in a different seat. I feel this says much more about the mental capacity of the sub then it does about me.)
Many teachers just plain gave up on me and didn't want to deal with me or work with me any more. Can I blame them? Yes and no. Having a student in class that not only doesn't do work but also disrupts class is enough to drive a teacher up a wall but it's part of the gig....just like having the summer off. You're there to work with ALL of the kids in that class, not just the ones who raise their hands, do all their homework and ace every test. Fortunately, not all my teachers waved the white flag. There were others; the ones who would pull you aside, let you know that you were acting like an idiot but also tell you that if you just focused a little bit you might just succeed. The actions of these teachers made me realize that I wanted to teach. I wanted to help the lazy wise guys that maybe talked too much but still had a lot to offer.
So here I am. Two years ago I completed my Masters in Adolescence Social Studies Education and I am currently in my second year of teaching 6th and 7th grade social studies. I absolutely love it. I somehow managed to land a job at one of the best middle schools in the city, working with students, parents and fellow teachers that actually care about the work that we're doing. Additionally, working in a school provides comic relief that you don't get in many other places. During my training I was consistently told to not smile for the first few months of the year or to "Be mean 'till Halloween" but I just can't do it. The enjoyment I get out of teaching along with the things that these kids say is just too much. The comedy and awkward moments that a middle school dance is enough to make any one crack a smile.
The passion that I feel about my work is something that I never thought I would find and it's also something that I feel is mandatory for all teachers. If you go into teaching so that you can have a lot of time off, you're not only hurting the students in your class but also yourself. You need to want to be in that room, working with those kids and helping them grow. Also, teaching is A LOT of work. Outsiders see the time off and assume it's an easy job but there's a tremendous amount of work that goes into it, a lot of which has nothing to do with instruction. Calling parents, grading tests, extra help, after school programs and just becoming a better teacher takes a lot of time and effort. If you're not interested in fully investing yourself in the process then you probably shouldn't be there. After all, school is not just what is in textbooks. It's the experience of learning that helps students grow. I know that my kids are probably never going to need to know who won the Battle of Bunker Hill, but they will definetely need to know how to work with each other, respect each other and grow into teenagers and later adults that will make do something great. Having the right adult influence in the classroom can help them achieve these goals.
I sometimes wish that I would run into some of my old teachers. I think about the reactions they would have when I tell them that I was now a teacher. If you told them or anyone else in my family back in the early 90's that I would end up in the front of the room instead of sleeping in the back they probably wouldn't believe you, yet here I am. The impact that teachers had on my life is now full and present. It is now my turn to say "thank you" by doing the same.
It was a word that filled me with dread everytime I heard it. Grammar school was not necessarily a very impressive time for me. At best I was a relatively bright kid who was just a little lazy. At worst I was a wise ass who didn't do any work and more importantly, didn't know when to shut up. The word that was used the most during my adolescence was "potential." I heard it all the time from my parents and teachers. "If you just worked to your potential....." which quickly went in one ear and out the other. I could never focus on my school work even when I knew that I had to. I would procrastinate all day and as the school day approached I would make myself sick over the thought of what it had in store. Missed projects, poor test grades and not reaching my "potential" were just some of the things that plagued my time as a student. I was also caught up in being the class clown. In 5th grade my friend and I managed to play a full game of "Blades of Steel" on a Gameboy we had snuck into class. In 8th grade I pretended I had a twin brother during a class with a substitute (note: I did this by coming into the room multiple times either with or without my glasses on and sitting in a different seat. I feel this says much more about the mental capacity of the sub then it does about me.)
Many teachers just plain gave up on me and didn't want to deal with me or work with me any more. Can I blame them? Yes and no. Having a student in class that not only doesn't do work but also disrupts class is enough to drive a teacher up a wall but it's part of the gig....just like having the summer off. You're there to work with ALL of the kids in that class, not just the ones who raise their hands, do all their homework and ace every test. Fortunately, not all my teachers waved the white flag. There were others; the ones who would pull you aside, let you know that you were acting like an idiot but also tell you that if you just focused a little bit you might just succeed. The actions of these teachers made me realize that I wanted to teach. I wanted to help the lazy wise guys that maybe talked too much but still had a lot to offer.
So here I am. Two years ago I completed my Masters in Adolescence Social Studies Education and I am currently in my second year of teaching 6th and 7th grade social studies. I absolutely love it. I somehow managed to land a job at one of the best middle schools in the city, working with students, parents and fellow teachers that actually care about the work that we're doing. Additionally, working in a school provides comic relief that you don't get in many other places. During my training I was consistently told to not smile for the first few months of the year or to "Be mean 'till Halloween" but I just can't do it. The enjoyment I get out of teaching along with the things that these kids say is just too much. The comedy and awkward moments that a middle school dance is enough to make any one crack a smile.
The passion that I feel about my work is something that I never thought I would find and it's also something that I feel is mandatory for all teachers. If you go into teaching so that you can have a lot of time off, you're not only hurting the students in your class but also yourself. You need to want to be in that room, working with those kids and helping them grow. Also, teaching is A LOT of work. Outsiders see the time off and assume it's an easy job but there's a tremendous amount of work that goes into it, a lot of which has nothing to do with instruction. Calling parents, grading tests, extra help, after school programs and just becoming a better teacher takes a lot of time and effort. If you're not interested in fully investing yourself in the process then you probably shouldn't be there. After all, school is not just what is in textbooks. It's the experience of learning that helps students grow. I know that my kids are probably never going to need to know who won the Battle of Bunker Hill, but they will definetely need to know how to work with each other, respect each other and grow into teenagers and later adults that will make do something great. Having the right adult influence in the classroom can help them achieve these goals.
I sometimes wish that I would run into some of my old teachers. I think about the reactions they would have when I tell them that I was now a teacher. If you told them or anyone else in my family back in the early 90's that I would end up in the front of the room instead of sleeping in the back they probably wouldn't believe you, yet here I am. The impact that teachers had on my life is now full and present. It is now my turn to say "thank you" by doing the same.
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