How much am I Learning

This blog is called living, learning, blogging; but how much am I learning? I have to ask this question. I've spent a year teaching English in middle school. Full time, not subbing, and in an urban, Title I school. I took over for a well liked teacher who left teaching to flip houses as an electrical contractor. For me, this was a very hard year. Anyone who thinks teachers have it made, believe me, teachers earn their summers. I wish I'd been disciplined to keep up with the blog and add daily learning and reflections to my experience but it was all I could do to get ready for the next day; I was in survival mode for the entire year. I'm still rather shell shocked from the whole experience.





People want to be in the now. They want to read immediate narrative, not reflection. I could put you there. But I don't want to go there again myself, so I'm not going. Perhaps I will be able to in pieces, vignettes. I hope so. I sure did live. Here are a few of things I've learned:





I learned that:

Teachers need to stay healthy: walk every day.


Teachers do not get to use the bathroom prn, therefore they don't eat beans.


Teachers are isolated.


Teachers really need to know who they are and be confident.



Teachers cannot break down in front of students.



Teachers are not rewarded for being on time, for never being absent, for making their own copies, for buying things with their own money, for entering high-stakes test data correctly and on time: these things just come with the territory.