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!

No comments: