A Ray of Light

Last week was absolute crap. The kids were crazy, I had the worst observation in my history of teaching and I was under the weather (sore throat, terrible cough and a voice that disappeared sometime last Monday). I left school in tears three of the five days last week. While I can say that I get emotional when I am not feeling my best, it was possibly my worst week of teaching since I have been in England (and maybe EVER)!

It has been a tough first term and I am feeling bitter about a lot of things that are going on at school: administration, discipline, this certification programme, etc. And when a higher-up evaluates a lesson and can not give a single positive comment about it, well, it leaves me feeling that there's just no point. Funny, it was the same week that I had planned to announce my resignation (totally unrelated but it felt good to say it when all that crap was happening). I have decided that High School is not for me. And while I have learned SO much in my overseas experience, I am a Middle School teacher through and through and am excited to return to what I know and love... Next year, of course, I'm not ready to leave England just yet.

Today was the first day since Half Term that I made the early train for work. This was my Ray of Light. If I miss the early train, then I can still make it to work but I am scrambling in at the bell (after sitting in terrible traffic and paying a taxi £5 to get me to school from the train station)... That's IF the trains are running on time. If I make the early train then I have time to enjoy a cup of coffee and do any last-minute teacher things before the day starts. That 40 minutes makes a world of difference.

A couple of things I have been meaning to post since the first of November:

My Sister's Keeper was one of the best books I have read in a long time. I really liked the issues it raised. There were parts that dragged (the mother got on my nerves) and the ending was crap, but I would still highly recommend it.

There are a ton of movies in the theater that I'd like to see, including the new Harry Potter that opens November 18th. It looks like I will be spending my Fall at the 'cinema.'

The sun set today at 4:18.

One last thing: As 'down' as I feel about my school right now, there are still plenty of good things that happen there. I have some really great support from my mentor teacher and my head of department. My department is full of fabulous people (even if I don't feel the rest of the school is...) There are plenty of kids that are wonderful, and even the not-so-wonderful ones have their wonderful moments.