The Viva in Survival: First Week of Teaching
August 30, 2008 at 10:48 am (Education)
Tags: Education, teaching
A high-fiver from a colleague on Friday afternoon felt good. “To surviving your first week of teaching,” he exclaimed with a smile on his face.
“Yes, I survived,” I sighed.
“No, I didn’t survive my first week, I lived it. I prefer to to say I lived it,” smiled another newish teacher.
When you understand the colour of the French language, it gets even more interesting. In French, the past tense survived is rendered SURVÉCU, and lived (or experienced) is VÉCU. Therefore, she said: “Pour moi, le l’ai vécu plutôt que survécu.” I liked that. Add three little letters at the beginning of the word, and the whole perspective changes.
I walked away reflecting on the short encounter. I honestly felt like I survived my first week. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING prepares you for teaching. I had four years of educational psychology, child psychology, pedagogy, practicums practica in the classroom, and the list goes on. By the third day, I felt so overwhelmed with information coming at me a mile a minute, I just couldn’t get my brain to stop rolling.
I have about three long lists of things to do, ideas, and resources, and a couple of pads worth of sticky notes glued to every available surface. I have paper, books, and stuff scattered on my desk I don’t know what to do with. I have kids whose names I need to learn, let alone wanting to build a rapport with. I keep running downtown with lists of things I need to buy in order to help the classroom run more smoothly. I have curriculum I need to cover, and 45-minute periods fly by so fast, I barely get down to business*. As a result, stress got the better of me, which meant my emotions were hard to hide. In 24 hours, I think I must’ve shed tears as many times.
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t just sit there and cry all day; I was fine in the classroom. But the slightest questions from colleagues as to how things were going brought on anything from watery eyes to downright sobbing. So, it was time to reach out.
I approached superman a super-organized teacher for ideas/suggestions.
I met with a high school teacher for help with planning.
I met with a primary teacher for suggestions with my fourth graders.
I talked with the school “counsellor” and simply unloaded…super-nice, understanding guy, by the way.
I even talked with my principal who is so there for everyone. I like his style, but that’s for another post.
And my husband, oh, my husband. He has been the most caring, understanding, and loving person in the whole world. He has taken care of breakfast, lunch, and dinner all week. The house was kept tidy with my whirlwind comings and goings. He held me when I sobbed at 3am. He gave me practical advice about dealing with the bursts of information hitting me like pop-up windows on a cheesy site.
Now, I feel ready to start my second week. Yes, while other people are going on their last camping trip of the summer, hiking the Chilkoot before winter sets in, or closing down their summer cabins, I’ll be organizing. Prioritizing. Planning. Working.
Most importantly, I’ll be living from now on. Yes, living my first year of teaching. Experiencing it. Learning from it. Tasting it. And hopefully, loving it.
______________________
*Kids in grades 3-6 come to my room for their English class in the mornings. Afternoons, I go to the secondary wing for grades 7-10.
Kara said,
August 30, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Well I hope week 2 is much less stressful for you!! I bet you are doing great!
Meandering Michael said,
August 30, 2008 at 7:38 pm
One day, in the not too distant future, you’ll be the one dispensing good advice to new teachers. Congrats on surviving Week 1!
Fawn said,
August 30, 2008 at 8:27 pm
And at least you’ll never have to go through that week again!
Have you ever read the book “Holes”? It was made into a movie, but I love the book. The part I’m reminded of is when the main character is told, “The first hole is the hardest.” (The kids are at a camp for juvenile delinquents and have to dig a hole in the desert every day – it has to be as deep and wide as their shovel.) When he goes out the second day, exhausted from the previous one, he’s told, “The second hole is the hardest.” And so on with each hole. Of course, the current hole is always the hardest, but at the same time it gets easier.
So that was a long story that may be completely irrelevant, but that’s what your post made me think of. Thank God for supportive husbands!
Bonne chance, Carole!
Carole said,
August 30, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Kara: Week 2 will be very busy, that’s for sure, but I’m thinking that if I manage to get organized somewhat this weekend, then things should be a little better. Just a little better every week is all I ask.
MM: I never thought of that Michael. I guess you’re right.
Fawn: I read the book a couple of years ago but didn’t make the connection with my week. I like the analogy. Merci!
Ripplebliss said,
August 30, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Long time teacher (well, if 7 years is a long time…), first time visitor to your blog! It sounds like you are using all the best resources. Hang in there and keep your sense of humour. “On rit pour ne pas pleurer! Et on crie pour ne pas tuer!”
Brings back many memories… I was there too 7 years ago. Now I’m heading back to work after my maternity leave and it feels like I’ve got to hit the ground running. I know it will all come back to me, but at the same time, I remember how much work it is to be a teacher – even an experienced one – and I wonder how to balance my job and my life. The challenges never end!
Tammy said,
August 31, 2008 at 1:05 am
You did it!!! You made it through that first, awful week. Remember, you don’t have to do the whole year RIGHT NOW. You just have to make it through each day.
Your schedule sounds absolutely nuts. What is that, like 8 lesson plans a day?! Crazy!
Keep it up, you know you can do this. And yes, it only gets easier from now on. Well, except for a few days, but those are just speed bumps.
Carole said,
August 31, 2008 at 8:15 am
Ripplebliss: Hey, thanks for the visit. I really, really like the expression you used. I went for a nice long walk yesterday with the teacher with whom I did my internship. She had lots of great advice to share, and knowing me as well as she does, her suggestions were useful. Good luck on your return to work.
Tammy: There are some split grades in there, so it’s more about adapting my lesson plans. Also, there are kids who have an English-speaking parent and are very excited about English class, and there are kids who are new to the area and have to start almost from scratch (and this at all levels). So, there lies the challenge.
Don’t be shy to share any ideas and suggestions you might have. Thanks!
Baino said,
August 31, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Awww I’m sorry it was so emotional for you. At least you stuck with it. I actually trained as an English/History Teacher a century ago but gave up because I simply wasn’t mature enough to deal with it directly from Uni. You have the advantage of maturity and worldliness so you’ll soon get a grip. Enjoy your second week, at least your attitude is great! I often wish I’d stuck at it.
Carole said,
August 31, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Baino, thanks for the cheers from your end of the world. I wish I would have had more interest in History. Understanding it explains much of what is going on in the world today. Now that I am interested, I have no time for it. Perhaps after my first couple of years of teaching, I’ll find time for it, and I’ll read the tons of history books I have on my shelves (my hubby’s).
Nice to hear from btw.
Mom said,
September 1, 2008 at 11:36 am
Fabulous blog – but then I’m biased. I like the use of the French verb to illuminate the real nature of week one in …..heaven.
Moon said,
September 2, 2008 at 9:44 am
What a fantastic week, go Girl … go teach … very envious that you are making a difference …
You could enlighten me, bearing in mind I am trying to learn Slovakian…. why do objects have a male or female side … I can’t understand that … a pencil is NOT one or the other !!!!!!, After being in Seaworld with 100′s of Americans, I now now the Slovakian for ‘fat’ and ‘pig’ … very useful
Moon said,
September 3, 2008 at 7:39 am
Where did my last comment go ? x
Moon said,
September 3, 2008 at 7:40 am
Well, I think it’s amazing thing to do, but you can help me, I am learning, very slowly, Slovakian, and my logic is stopping me …… How does a pen, or a church, or a beer have a ‘female’ or ‘male’ side ….. ????
Carole said,
September 3, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Moon, just thank your lucky stars that there are only two. In some languages there several categories of nouns rather than just the male and female. Unless of course you’re talking about boats and cars, which are always referred to in the female gender in English, but of the masculin gender in French.Oh, and Russians refer to boats as males…oh…never mind.
BTW, your first comment ended up in my spam.
Moon said,
September 4, 2008 at 7:45 am
I thought I was being censored !!!!
Dobre, dakujem !
Tammy said,
September 6, 2008 at 11:13 am
Hi Carole,
I’ve edited my back to school post to include rules for the toilet paper game. Have fun with it!
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