What's Really Scary

I'm trying to reflect on today but nothing profound is coming to mind. Things are remarkably simpler without ALP in the classroom and while my patience is constantly being tested by a number of students I don't find myself completely exhausted at the day's end anymore. It's amazing how much time and energy I have to think about teaching rather than the misbehavior of one student. Things are stabilizing, and dare I say, I'm finding a bit of a routine.

It's only 8 weeks into my "career" as a teacher. I am incredibly behind in my reading assessments and my students' portfolios. So, I have to put the broader curriculum on the back burner for a bit and focus entirely on these mandated assignments. Thursday I'll be spending half the day administering predictive assessments aka practice tests for the state tests. Friday I'm having my first formal observation. These are the things, or rather normal concerns, that are catching up to me after weeks of struggling to keep my head above the water.

Tomorrow is Halloween and my class is having a Halloween party. I can't imagine what trick or treating is like in the neighborhood around my school, although I have to guess it's better than a lot of the even worse neighborhoods in the Bronx. Today I had an unpleasant and uncomfortable reminder of how quickly some of my kids are growing up. I found a note on the floor of my classroom closet that was far too graphic or vulgar to repeat here. This is a note written by a 10 year-old! When you think about how much of the innocence of childhood that many of us take for granted is being deprived of students in these areas, that's a really scary thought.

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Don't worry about profundity--just blog!

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