I've heard no matter how much preparation you do for your first day as a teacher, you will still be completely unprepared. It wasn't so much preparation that did me wrong as it was the good ole Knapp luck. I was ready to go, minus a few textbooks and computer programs, but I had lessons planned to buy my time until they arrived.
Then, August 23rd, the first day of school came. Classes begin at 8:25 a.m.
7:15 a.m: The dehumidifier explodes and leaks all over the classroom floor. While the scent of mildew begins to set in, everyone who walks on the carpet nearly careens to their death with their first step off the wet carpet with wet shoes onto the tiled hallway floor.
8:00 a.m.: The entire lab's connection to the network goes down. No one can log onto anything.
8:01 a.m.: The new technology director is only available by cell phone, and his number is currently on auction at EBay. The current bid is $5,874.
8:25 a.m.: I decide today's lesson plans will be changed to "Getting to Know You" activities that will be completed on notebook paper. I have six pieces of paper.
11:17 a.m: I eat my first school lunch and decide I'm willing to eat applesauce again if it means I don't have to bring my lunch every day.
2:43 p.m.: My class of freshmen arrive for their Word Processing I class. They were neither given nor had ever heard of "usernames" and "passwords" for the network, which is where all of the classwork is stored.
2:46 p.m.: The new district technology director is quarantined in the computer lab, but alleges to have no idea about how to create usernames and passwords.
2:48 p.m.: I start leading leadership games with tennis balls and stop watches that I learned in grad school. These games have absolutely nothing to do with Word Processing.
3:15 p.m.: The last bell rings, and I decide wearing new shoes on the first day of school was a bad idea.
As I overheard one student say, "One down, 179 to go..."
Book Review: Mobituaries
6 years ago
2 comments:
Ahhh, the joys of the first day. I remember them well. I wanted to throw-up the entire day. By the end of the day I wasn't sure if I wanted to cry or pass out from singing the same music over, and over, and over...again! Remember, you'll never be as inexperienced as you are this year...it can only get better! Don't forget to have fun and let the small stuff slide. They will never miss the "cool" addition to the lesson plan that you didn't have time to teach. Just do the best you can - it gets easier!
Ah, the first day of school! Sounds like you are well on your way. Hang in there, it will get better. I learned the hard way about new shoes too..I still have blisters on the back of my heels!
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