Thanks for all the feedback on my last post. I do think people feel the hosting expectations of boom club have ramped up considerably and want to tame them again. Evidently the only one I went to was especially extravagant which means my only point of reference was not representative of actual expectations. No one told me that until they saw my spread last weekend.
We covered our kitchen in tin foil and it made no difference in our crazy cat’s behavior. We’ve been telling our cat to get off the island for months and he clearly doesn’t care or isn’t learning so I doubt just saying no and putting him down will help. I guess double sided sticky tape is the next step.
Today is our final staff day before students come tomorrow. I think I’m ready. Someone asked me how long I had been teaching and I realized this is my 20th year. My husband remarked that soon I’ll have been teaching for longer than I was alive before I started teaching. I didn’t love that idea, but all in all I’m happy with this profession. I fell into a position that ended up working well for me and I’m very grateful for that, because I wouldn’t have known to search it out.
I met my student teacher and she seems nice. We have kids of similar ages. She has been working, in different capacities, at a charter school nearby for many years so I think she’ll be great in the classroom. I’m feeling a lot better about that commitment at this point.
I taught my first adult class at the dojo last night. Now that I’m a blue belt it’s expected that I teach the Basics class every 4-6 weeks. My first attempt was not stellar, but with the help of a friend I got through it. I do love the community of the dojo. I have fallen into a very supportive cohort of mid-high belts and I’m starting to feel like I really belong there.
The weather has been weird this week, warm and kind of muggy. I guess we’re getting some ambient Hilary vibes up here. I just hope it’s not too hot in our classrooms for the next few days.
I hope everyone who is managing back-to-school in some capacity is having a decent time of it. It’s definitely can be frantic time of year for me.
Hope and trust your first day of school is stellar. How is it going for your kids back to school? Both my grands start today. Very different cities and grades so it is first that they both have first day on same day. I still love seeing the pictures and hearing the reports.
So glad to see others wrote so well on the strengths you and student teacher will be bring to class room and each other. Sharing strengths is the best way to get through the world. Hope they feel that way too.
For our counter-loving cat, a spray bottle (with water) worked more than anything. The first few times the cat was confused where the water was coming from, but once she made the connection it worked. Yes, she probably (definitely) gets on the counter when we are not there, but at least when we are doing food prep, etc she doesn’t. If she looks like she is going to jump, a shake of the bottle is now enough.
As a professor, I often mentor people who teach different subjects than me, and I have learned that knowledge of teaching (or even just what the local rules and norms are) and a willingness to share is really useful for new faculty. I’m am sure you can offer more, but sometimes even the basics of ‘what is done when’ can be really valuable to someone who is adjusting to a novel situation.