It's been over 3 months since I've written a post of any significance. Probably longer than that. I'm going to ease back into this, so if this post rambles, if it drifts into incoherance, or it sounds like I'm talking to myself, chalk it up to PTSD from yearbook. Just plunge on.
I'm sitting in the small computer lab at Gainesville High School right now. It's 5:15. I'm teaching CROP English. I think CROP stands for Credit Retrieval Something Program. It's basically summer school, but all on the computer, and during the school year. It was a voluntary gig. I had way too much free time doing yearbook, so I signed on for a 3 hour after-school job every Wednesday. Okay, I'll admit it. I did it for the money.
It's an easy gig. I sign the students in. They work on various English classes that they're making up. I sit at my computer and grade papers, or work on yearbook, or write blog posts. Every once in a while, I check my screen that shows if anyone has submitted something for grading. If so, I grade it, then return to whatever I'm doing. The next day I turn in my attendance sheet to the office. Not really any teaching involved, but the computer-based lessons seem pretty good, actually. Maybe it's a sign of the future. Since lawmakers around the country seem to have it out for us overpaid teachers and our cushy tenured jobs, perhaps they'll replace us all with an expensive computer program and hire a babysitter for minimum wage to sign kids in and out. Sigh.
Speaking of yearbook, we submitted the final pages yesterday, a mere one day late. I think it will be a decent book. I'm not going to complain here about how much work it was, no woe-is-me pity parties. I accepted the job. I did the job. Next year will be better and I'm looking forward to doing it with a hand-picked staff, and a year of experience. It can only get better. Cristina doesn't want me to do it again, but after devoting so much time and energy into it, I don't want to dump it off on someone else who will have to start from scratch. If another teacher had yearbook experience and wanted the job, sure I'd let them take it. Shoot, even if they had no experience but really wanted the job, I'd probably give it up. But I don't think anyone like that will be stepping up to the plate.
Yearbook does have some plus sides. For one of my five classes, I get to play with photography and graphic design. I get to teach practical real-world things, like how to speak to professional adults, how to shake hands, how to handle money. I've formed a good relationship with the yearbook sales rep guy, who lives right here in Gainesville. He knows everything about yearbooks, so he's my personal Yoda, and he's just a text message away at all times. Making a yearbook, if you assemble the right staff, has a lot of the same creative teamwork qualities that video production has. After 6 years of teaching nothing but English, I'm enjoying that part of it.
Wow. The last CROP kid just left. I better get out of here and pick up Sofia from the library. More to come.
