I am back! This time I have landed myself a job as a Title I teacher at a Catholic Elementary School. The school is still inner city but is a whole new world that in a weird way I have to get re-used to. During last year as a substitute I experienced things I never thought possible, I witnessed abuse, pain, suffering and indifference, I came home drained (physically and emotionally) every day. I thought that’s what teaching would be like if I stayed in Chicago.
I was, in a sense, thrown into this new job. I spent 3 days observing two different teachers in the same position at two different schools. I then started the next week at my school and learned (was also warned by the teachers I observed) that for the first two weeks I would be doing paperwork. Thank you NCLB and all the glorious educational red tape! I hope some of my sarcasm is coming through…I have yet to locate a sarcastic smiley face! I believe I have killed an entire forest of trees and developed a case of carpal tunnel syndrome. On the one plus side, I learned all of my students names and correct spelling of them without actually meeting them.
After the beginning paperwork, testing begins. Then of course after testing is more paperwork, followed by teaching at some point, one can only hope!
