A Week in the Life
Since nearly 50 of you have asked for a "day in the life" post, and so many of my younger friends who are considering Teach for America want every detail of life AFTER the bell rings, here is my attempt to answer any and all questions under the umbrella of... "But what do you actually DO???"
Monday - Jump back into the texts that my kids seem to have ENTIRELY FORGOTTEN over the weekend. If I'm not totally overwhelmed, pack lunches for the whole week and drop them off in the teacher's lounge fridge at 6am Monday morning (If I am stressed, just get something for today in my bag and consider myself a success). Attend UNLV masters class until 7pm.
Tuesday - Get through what seems like the most melancholy of weekdays. For some reason by Tuesday the kids have lost the previous weekend's excitement AND the bright light of the Friday ahead of them is simply too far away. Meet with the Freshmen Student Council officers after school (I am an advisor). We discuss the next fundraiser (raffle ticket sales for themed prize baskets - picture). I use my philanthropy chair skills and teach the students how to ask local businesses for donations... A FANTASTIC SKILL TO HAVE!! They pick it up quickly and we have 20 gift cards in no time! (This means I have MANY errands to run that night!)
Wednesday - Give quizzes to my students on the most recent chapter in their text (and even give a quiz to a fellow teacher for fun!). Stay an extra hour for collaboration time with my fellow 12th grade teachers... (how can we use Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire" to hit 5 common core standards this week?) During 4th period notice a student dabbing away tears. To avoid embarrassment, slip her a stickie with warm wishes and a candy cane. See picture of the note on Twitter later with the caption "reasons to love my English teacher" :) (below)
Thursday - Attend meeting with my administrator to review my most recent evaluation (she drops by my class about once a month to see how things are going - see picture). Pick up visiting cousin from the airport and break the news that wake up tomorrow morning will be 5:30 am SHARP since she wants to see me teach. Get mail and receive the BEST EARLY HANUKKAH PRESENT from my favorite big brother in the world, Dr. Zach! (see picture - EXPO MARKERS!!!)
Friday - Samantha (my cousin) visits school and when I tell my 6th period kids she is an actress they all want autographs. (We are between fall and winter sports so I did not attend any games this week, but they are usually a bi-weekly staple... my kids are very involved and I love meeting parents and bragging about their children!)
Saturday - SLEEP IN (this is key!). Attend a student's Quinceanera (15th birthday/coming of age celebration). Spend the duration of the party chatting with her siblings (both older than I am). Tell her parents what an outstanding student she is and see the pride in their eyes. Make eye contact with the birthday girl, watch her face light up with the realization that the only teacher she invited actually showed up! Turn down the many offers of TEQUILA, but enjoy the Spanish music. Say goodbye and drive to the strip to see Rock of Ages with visiting cousin and friends! (pictures)
Sunday - Lesson plan while drinking JET FUEL (strong coffee will also suffice). Go to school for 3-4 hours to set up activities, make copies, and rearrange the room for the ten millionth time. Finish UNLV homework/papers. Respond to personal notes from students. GRADE GRADE GRADE.
Monday - start all over again...!
Of course I've left out the nightly changes to lesson plans, the numerous mental/emotional breakdowns when a student snaps at me, the life-changing moments when I help a teenager really learn something which results in a positive change in them the following day/week/month, and the phone calls home to Mom and Dad (my biggest fans) which always seem to end with me crying or laughing as I dish the latest from my day as Ms. Landau.
But I hope you get the idea. It is exhausting and energizing all at once (but mostly the former). I hope this helps those of you who were curious about the play-by-play and I sincerely love the feedback I hear from people around the world about my adventures. Thanks for being a part of it all! And HAPPY THANKSGIVING BREAK!!
Cheers,
Danielle
(Below - Some of my smallest class, senior honors students, working in pairs on mini-white boards. Together they crafted paragraphs proving a main theme from O. Henry's "Lost On Dress Parade". They supported their argument with textual evidence of a motif that they had annotated for on the previous day. Students then traveled around with their partner spending three minutes at each paragraph, editing their peers work.)
