One Week

Finished the first week! And holy cow.. second year is ridiculously easier than the first (so far). It was so nice to coast back into my place as Ms. Chew Rocks. Some of the big differences I've noticed are that I have a reputation that precedes me now and that I already know a lot of my kids. My chem juniors from last year are now phys seniors.. and my phys seniors from last year who failed are now my phys seniors. It's nice to have them around because we already have that relationship in place and it kind of sets the tone for the kids who are new to my classes. And it's really fun to run into the kids I don't have anymore who still love and/or miss me.

Case in point.. walking out of a staff meeting in the library and looking down from the balcony onto a couple of kids hanging out on the first floor after school. One kid who I don't have anymore this year yells up at me, "Ms. Chew I love you man!! I've always loved you!" Haha he's crazy.

I think the only complaints I have about this year so far is that it was really hot at school for the last few days (which makes for cranky kids and even crankier teachers) and my class numbers are all over the place. I think my ideal class would be around 25. Some of my physics classes have been around 35 while my algebra class is 10. A whopping TEN MOUSEY FRESHMEN ahhh what do I do with them.. and true to the nature of my school, the kids schedules have been changing left and right so my classes haven't quite settled in yet. We're expecting a load of kids to show up after Labor Day too.

Anyways, I guess I don't have many eventful stories to post thus far. It's been surprisingly smooth. I feel like a pro.. except maybe with the freshmen. And I was really tired after working all day every day after a three month vacation. I know, I know, what a thing to complain about!

So I'll leave you with a story about one of my kids from last year who is repeating a semester this year. Back at the end of last year a couple of my grad school classmates who are teaching now went back to Stanford to speak to the new class about what to expect from their first year teaching. It was really nice to share some real advice and just to be on the other side of that panel. One of our former instructors asked a poignant question, "What is the name of one student you're looking forward to seeing next year."

I didn't hesitate or skip a beat, immediately I called out the name of one of my kids I knew I'd have again. And let me tell you why. CM's older brother was everyone's favorite student last year, including mine. He was a star on the soccer team and crowned prom king. He had a great personality, he was the kind of kid who was fun to joke around with in class but at the same time was super respectful and always got the job done. CM started the year with me at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, to the point where if I didn't already know they were brothers and that they shared the same last name, I would have no reason to connect the two. Except for the fact that they both play soccer.

My theory is that CM just had really big shoes to fill. It's difficult following in the shadow of someone like Phillip. But by the end of the year he had really warmed up to me and became one of my favorite students. He started to actually try and do his work, and his efforts came with results. He had done a complete 180 and was kicking butt. So this year when he came back into my class I asked him, "so, are you ready to be one of my star students? You're going to be stellar." He responded, "hell yea, Ms. Chew!" I can't wait to watch him soar.

I'll end with this. We have modified block scheduling so now I only see my kids four times a week. CM has class with me Wednesday and not Thursday, so when he was hanging around my door on Thursday I poked fun at him. "What are you doing, miss me?"

"Yea, Ms. Chew."

Back in Black

Yea, I wore black pants today just so I could use that as my tagline ;)

So begins year two of this indefinite adventure that is public high school teaching. Newsflash.. I survived year one!! It was tough at times, and always challenging, but I have to say by the end I felt like I hit my stride. Graduation was the best birthday present EVER. Just seeing my kids walk across the stage with their families in the stands cheering them on, especially the ones that almost didn't make it through the year (academically and/or mortally), was the perfect end to the school year.

And now I'm back. Four weeks of training/classes at the Exploratorium and four weeks chilling at home in MD, and now I'm back. Raring to go. Sort of. I'm not sure I'm ready to be back yet, but we had our first day of work today and it was so good to see my coworkers again. Even saw some of the juniors (now seniors!) when they came to pick up their schedules. After seeing the kids again, I'm a little excited. Still don't feel quite in the school mode yet, but I still have two more work days and a weekend before class starts on Monday. So here we go!!

New adventures to come this year..

• Year two of my physics curriculum.
• No more Chem!!
• ...but instead, one section of Algebra.
• With freshmen.
• Modified block scheduling (class four times a week, one of those times is 2x as long).

Let's do this like Brutus! Tune in soon for a new batch of adventures!