Wednesday, March 24, 2010

As Antonio Banderras says, "Not Yet..."

Once again, the golden windows prevail. This photo amazes me, and I took it!!! It reveals the golden image without any airbrushing in my room's windows at school.
Not that this year has been without trials and tribulations. I think my 8th grade class has rivaled any I've ever had before for just plain rowdy. Good kids, I'm thinking, but very, v.e.r.y. undisciplined. We are finally (with only days left) making progress.. (most days.)
Oh, yeah.. I bet they were!
Nobody understands how a person can get so wrapped up in grammar, in old Edgar Poe, in the Crucible, in the dailies of the day....
And then there's the new technology stuff... It gets harder and harder to get all those grades online, to battle the webquests, to combat the electronic essays leering and luring kids from all avenues... And Facebook is much more fun than ANYTHING!
I do try to keep up with the jargon, to not succumb to lower standards... and to not compromise my high standards and ethics... (is it wrong to ask a bored and kinda rowdy student to fix my license plate while I type his paper????? really wrong? uh... not that I did that, of course!)
Exactly right... It would all be so simple if only they'd follow this simple rule.....
Why, I wouldn't have dared to treat my teachers like this!!! I think my socks would have melted off my feet.... maybe my feet, too!!!

However, after quite the deliberation for another year, the decision is nearly in.... It hit me today.... I feel totally miserable when I think about retiring. I feel the same as last year. I survived this year and had a lot of fun. I enjoy kids. I love kids. I love English... I love the school. I have had a blast organizing my room. I have spent the past few days filing and organizing and writing lesson plans and curriculum for next year... I will have an amazing writing student with autism next year, and I can't wait for the experience and the challenge and the blessing... so.... "Hold my coat. I'm going back in." (unless something drastic happens before the ink is dry.)

6 comments:

Laurie - Lolo So Retro said...

:-)

Glad to hear you are going to give them another year of your wisdom and gifts!

Laurie S.

Becky K. said...

Love it! You keep doing it as long as it gives you JOY!

Fun Post!

Becky K.

Carol said...

I admire your dedication to teaching!

Smiles,
Carol

Megan said...

Yahoo!!! One more year I am blessed to teach with you! :)

Love the cartoons, too! After the week I've had, I needed some humor!

Vintage Gran said...

Retiring from teaching was a very hard decision to make. I felt like I had the best job in the world, I got to teach children how to read! What could be better than that? I felt like I gave them the key to the big wide world when they actually realized they were really reading by themselves. There are times I miss it but with two young grandchildren, ages 3 and 4, that I keep, I still get to look at the world with awe and amazement through their eyes.

Your class is blessed to have you with your experience and the knowledge that comes from years of teaching. Stay with it as long as you love doing it. I think it is one of the most rewarding professions because it helps children gain enough knowledge to make choices that will take them through their lifetime. You never know what an impact you have on them.

Hang in there. I love your blog and just became a follower.

I Love Pretty Little Things said...

Hello! Thank you so much for your nice comment on my blog. I love the picture of the window and I love the comics. I have such admiration for teachers, especially middle school. I have worked with M.S. kids at church, and you just have to lov'em. They are their own unique little breed. LOL
Thanks for visiting!
Joyce