so you wanna know about the new job, eh?

Pros:
-Barely any kids in the hallway
-No workrooms (because it means all my stuff is in one place instead of 2 or more)
-Not one, but two cabinets in the room
-Not one, but two bookshelves in the room
-New high school! Whoa!
-Kids are super friendly
-95% of them do their work without me begging and pleading with them.
-They have their own supplies
-No tardies. Well, no unexcused tardies. When they come in late, they freak out and apologize a thousand times and have a note.
-Principal and APs are cool, and ALL the office workers are nice (those of you that do not work in schools and can't remember those that worked in the office: THIS NEVER HAPPENS! I swear, there always has to be ONE that always looks pissed off.)
-The Promethean Board. I can't really explain it for those of you that don't know what Smart boards or PBoards are like, but I am totally in love with this thing.


Cons:
-Sometimes, I feel useless because they all just sit and do their work.
-No workrooms (because it means I don't know any of the other teachers since we all have our own rooms)
-Classrooms next to me are empty or a computer lab that no one uses, and across the hall from me is a wall. So, it kinda feels like I'm all alone over there. (pro of that is: it's quiet?)
-I don't know the kids and everyone else knows everyone.
-They say "that's gay" and "fag" a lot more. And wear more confederate flags.
-I miss bonding with the kid that borrowed pencils every day. And the kids that always strolled in late every class.
-Lots of forms to fill out.
-A teacher told mesome students chew tobacco in class (ew) and some bring their guns or crossbows to school during hunting season. Uh...

Pictures are on flickr. I was going to put some here, but I'm tired and I have a lot of letters to grade and other stuff to take care of before Back to School night tomorrow night.


My 12th graders are cool, though. Super cool, for the most part (minus a few that sit in the back corner, never shut up and are really stuck up). My 10th graders are... strange. My 7th period is hilarious, 5th period's okay, 2nd period is sleepy. One of the science teachers I met today said, "Oh, you're the new English teacher! I'm _____, we both teach 10th grade." So I made a joke about how fun they can be and she said "Yeah, the 10th graders this year are a little undercooked". That was hilarious, and also very true. I think it was just a bad year for kids, cause the kids in the same class at The Old School are "undercooked" as well. It happens sometimes.
I think it'll be okay and I know I'll get used to it. It's a little hard right now because at the end of the school day, I just sigh and think "I miss Granby". Obama was there this week and I had excited messages from former students and Tye. It made me miss them a lot and wish I could share that excitement with them. I know it'll get easier and I'll start feeling more a part of this new school, but right now, I just feel confused, slightly overwhelmed, lost and like an outsider. Part of that is because I started late, another is because it's a lot smaller and a third is that I am an outsider. A lot of the people I'm working with and a lot of the students have all known each other for years and years already. But, like I said, it'll get better. Even if it doesn't, I'll make it work because most of me is just happy to be teaching again.
Oh yeah, and one of the Assistant Principals is like Dan W-K's redheaded twin. It is freaky how alike they are. I also have a student that looks almost exactly like a student I had last year. This morning, I saw her in the hallway and almost called her Stephanie instead of her real name.