Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Teaching

I'll be teaching in the Fall. First time ever. My mind is so full of details that I can't find rest during the day. I guess this is a good thing. I don't really need to rest during the day. I just have to write some things out or I'll go crazy.

So first of all, I can't believe I actually got this job. I mean, they hadn't even posted the part-time pool anywhere other than on their website, and it was mere chance that got me the interview. All I did was send in an inquiry with my resume, and they scheduled me to come in! Around the time of the interview all the stuff happened with Medi-Cal, so Scott started talking about changing jobs. He applied at the State Hospital in Atascadero, and we felt so sure that they would interview him and he would get the job. This meant our family would relocate; renting out our house; me finding some kind of employment on the coast, etc. etc. My mind wasn't on Merced. I almost skipped the interview. But I decided that it was a great opportunity for me to experience a Community College interview process, something I was nervous about anyway. So the day before, I threw together some materials and planned a 15 minute teaching demonstration. I also ran over to Goodwill to find an outfit for the interview on the day of! Talk about last-minute planning. Anyway, the interview came and went. I thought it went well for the most part, but I wasn't really stressing about it, because I figured that if they offered me the job I might have had to turn it down. That weekend we discovered that the hiring process at the State Hospital was going to take much longer than we had originally anticipated. On Tuesday, Merced College offered me a position in the part-time pool, with a fall class in Delhi (just north of Atwater by 15 minutes). I took it, not sure what in the world God was doing. Well, the opportunities have not stopped for me since then. Scott has settled into GHC a bit, not feeling like every day could be his last. And I'm now looking at teaching 2 classes, with an hour in the study hall for the fall. Holy cow! This is like one of those doors that I just happened to walk up to, knock on, and have it fly open. I guess God does that sometimes. Not a first for me. :o)

Okay, so the Monday/Wednesday class is English 1A, which is critical composition and reading. Cool. Just got my possible book list today to choose from, and I picked 4:

Lies My Teacher Told Me
The Latehomecomer
1984
Holy Land

I'm so jazzed about these books, because they're designed to lead the students into some serious critical thinking about life and our habits as students. The assumptions we make based on our education. Things we're taught not to think about. So now my mind is racing with all kinds of teaching ideas. Lesson plans. Activities. Presentations. I almost feel sorry for my students because of all the work they're going to be doing, but I hope and pray that we're able to build an active community of trust. That's the pot that everything will cook in.

The second class is a Tuesday/Thursday, and it's a reading comprehension class. Sentence to paragraph writing stuff, and basic understanding of literature. Most of these students will be fresh out of ESL, so I have no idea what to anticipate with the curriculum. The closest I've come to teaching this kind of stuff is with the Cullinan Education Center where I was a tutor for ages 5-12. I have a teaching orientation for this class, but I don't know much about it yet.

All this, plus I still have to make sure my graduation clears at Stan State, and I have to go somewhere to have my TB test cleared. Ugh! And then there's tomorrow. Ness and kids are coming over (so glad!!), and I'm hanging with her three and my two tomorrow in 100+ weather in Atwater. Meanwhile, Chrissie will be having a baby in the morning while I'm home (aaahhh!!). Friday will be kinda mellow, Saturday a day trip to San Francisco, and Monday to Fresno to see the Millers at home!

I have to work on my syllabi, my course calendars, my materials, and summer stuff with the family. We go camping next weekend. I think that's the most crucial bit of planning I need to do. If I can just get up to the mountains, things will be sooooo much better. Fresh mountain air, chilly nights and mornings, messy hair and clothes, campfires and eating outside, hiking, picnic lunches, sitting by May Lake. Ooh, the May Lake hike sounds awesome. I think that's where I need to rest my mind.

BLT's for dinner tonight. I'll be having mine sans bread. And now I think I can slow it down a little bit.

No comments:

Post a Comment