Sunday, August 23, 2009
Our Last Trip
We went to Bear Lake with our neighbor friends Greg and Lance. It was a lot of fun but we were disappointed in the condo situation. The owners of the condo above us let their child and his bro-hood friends stay there. Did I mention there was a huge dog which we had to hear the owner be an ass to?
The neighbors seemed to enjoy staying out late, coming home in the early hours of the morning and continuing to party. Between both nights, I might have had eight hours of sleep. The real feather-in-the-cap was checking out. The managers weren't at all surprised to hear our complaints, in fact, everyone complains about the neighbors. NOW I'M MAD THAT I WASN'T INFORMED OF THIS BEFORE I BOOKED THE PLACE! Jerks.
The neighbors seemed to enjoy staying out late, coming home in the early hours of the morning and continuing to party. Between both nights, I might have had eight hours of sleep. The real feather-in-the-cap was checking out. The managers weren't at all surprised to hear our complaints, in fact, everyone complains about the neighbors. NOW I'M MAD THAT I WASN'T INFORMED OF THIS BEFORE I BOOKED THE PLACE! Jerks.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Can it really be this easy?
Suddenly, I feel spoiled. After six years of scraping my way into a teaching post in a district, I find myself with so many resources that I don't know where to begin.
In the previous four years at the Salt Lake Arts Academy there were many projects. I'll always remember the students running with their heads down, staring at a dirty bowl of paint water, making sure to not spill on the way to the bathroom sink... where is the justice now that I have a sink in my room but no requirements to do art projects?
There was also vandalism in the bathroom (as expected) so students were not allowed to use the restrooms during class, even to obtain a drink from the fountain. Now, I have a water fountain in my room.
With charter school budget restraints, I never had classroom textbooks. Not only do I have textbooks, but many other units, primary sources, and my very own class sets of novelssssssssssssssss (yes, plural).
My projector at the Arts Academy was at least 15 years-old. What made matters worse, when I ran out of copies to use on the fancy copier for overheads, I had to hand write the sheets on the blank overhead pages. Now, I have an LCD projector. For real?!
Did I mention that I don't have to write curricula?
Now for Sandcastle Academy... half the time I was there, my computer didn't work. I would come in about two hours early and use my coworker's computer. Not only do I have my own computer, I have resources on the district website to use!
While Sandcastle had a good supply of teacher furniture, at the Arts Academy I purchased many of my shelves, books, and class supplies. In the Salt Lake District, I was brought into a room of furniture and told, "pick what you need."
Let's not forget the curricula part.
I'll always love the Arts Academy and Sandcastle. Great schools, great faculties, great admins. Perhaps "roughing it" made me a better-old-school teacher... but man, do I LOVE working for a district already!
In the previous four years at the Salt Lake Arts Academy there were many projects. I'll always remember the students running with their heads down, staring at a dirty bowl of paint water, making sure to not spill on the way to the bathroom sink... where is the justice now that I have a sink in my room but no requirements to do art projects?
There was also vandalism in the bathroom (as expected) so students were not allowed to use the restrooms during class, even to obtain a drink from the fountain. Now, I have a water fountain in my room.
With charter school budget restraints, I never had classroom textbooks. Not only do I have textbooks, but many other units, primary sources, and my very own class sets of novelssssssssssssssss (yes, plural).
My projector at the Arts Academy was at least 15 years-old. What made matters worse, when I ran out of copies to use on the fancy copier for overheads, I had to hand write the sheets on the blank overhead pages. Now, I have an LCD projector. For real?!
Did I mention that I don't have to write curricula?
Now for Sandcastle Academy... half the time I was there, my computer didn't work. I would come in about two hours early and use my coworker's computer. Not only do I have my own computer, I have resources on the district website to use!
While Sandcastle had a good supply of teacher furniture, at the Arts Academy I purchased many of my shelves, books, and class supplies. In the Salt Lake District, I was brought into a room of furniture and told, "pick what you need."
Let's not forget the curricula part.
I'll always love the Arts Academy and Sandcastle. Great schools, great faculties, great admins. Perhaps "roughing it" made me a better-old-school teacher... but man, do I LOVE working for a district already!
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