Tuesdays= evil.

Whewwwwwwww.

I've decided Tuesdays are the bane of the universe. Absolute achilles heel for me. The Monday adrenaline (and weekend rest) are gone, and you're nowhere near the weekend, just stuck in the middle of the week without even being to Wednesday. Tuesdays are also the first day of the week I have to teach reading, which drives me up two walls and back down. Everything is scripted exactly and I have multiple sets of kids in my room who absolutely despise each other- perfect for group work. The groups are broken into reading ability, and I have the kids who are almost completely fluent reading aloud and bored to death with the ridiculous, "Read the first word in part 2 of lesson 3. What sound do the underlined words make?- go. Yes, brrrrrr. What word?- go. Yes, bright. Read the second word in part 2 of lesson three. What sound....." I kind of want to stab my eyes out with a dull object after 30 minutes of it. I know it's probably working, but I'm still working on getting them to care about silent e's and sound clusters.

Today was a different Tuesday- no crying, though it was a weird not great bizzarre twilight zone day. My angel first period class was horrific and we only got through 20 minutes of the entire 90 minute lesson due to behavior, and the class that is usually off the chain was amazing and got through all of the lesson plan like it was cake. Instead of going to Rhodes Singers rehearsal tonight like I should have, I was talking to the 6th grade reading teacher about which parents we'd called when the principal came in and told us a bunch of people were going to dinner so there was good food and hilarious conversation about Jamal's days as a teacher. Man, he is hardcore- punched back if kids hit him, had the police show up at the school to collect him, made first graders take notes and 8th graders walk in quiet lines or skip lunch. It was therapeutic and a kick in the butt both to hear. I wish I were a black man. It's not required to be successful, but it definitely changes the way you start out and how you are approached from the start.

I've changed seating arrangements almost daily, subject teaching schedules, learning modes, assessment styles and schedules, tone of voice, homework policy, classroom proceedures, grading, managment techniques, lesson planning strategies, homework styles, positive reinforcements, room atmosphere, student responsibility and parental contact mode as well as anything else I can think of so many times it's hard to keep track. I don't know that anyone else knows, which is good or they might be as confused as I feel sometimes. But good lord. In 4 weeks and a day of teaching I think I've utilized every last neuron that I possess, even the random spares hanging out in my toes. Maybe someday I'll get a few systems figured out that work. By then I think I'll have everything timed, color coded (literally, everything from subject to day to type of assignment to learning style...) and my snitches will be ready to train for the FBI. And I might own every book on science and social studies activities ever written. At least I have other TFAers to help me remember we're all in this together, as Ben Lee would say. And I have yet to be threatened with firing or lock myself in a closet, so I guess that's a good thing. Maybe my kids will learn something. Maybe they'll grow. Or if I have to slink down to the tangible and immediate, I still get a paycheck on Friday.

And hey, they found my KIPP phone. We're given a school phone that we must have on hand until 9 every night to answer homework questions, but mine was stolen about two weeks ago- today the mystery was solved. One student stole it from me and a second stole it from the first and his family has been using it for the last two weeks. So... tomorrow I get the phone back the flood of calls begins/resumes/etc. Oh yeah, and I sent out progress reports and about a third of the kids are failing one subject or the other because they refuse to turn in work.

I'm thinking of trying to leave the country every time we have a school break- Canada, the UK, Australia, Italy, Costa Rica, China, Japan, Ireland and others are on the potential list. Thank god for travel. And music, and KIPP staff, and TFAers, and friends and good books and baths.....

And it's midnight again. So much for "no work just sleep" night. 5:30 just hurts after the Sunday night marathon of 2 hours into a week of 5 per night. Well, some chocolate and blogging later, I feel readyish for light demos, prehistoric man stories, parent phone calls and WEDNESDAY! Love from Memphis- S


PS-As of Saturday, I'm teaching the choir elective every other Saturday school. Woot.