Note: To protect the privacy of our members, e-mail addresses have been removed from the archived messages. As a result, some links may be broken.

Lesson Plans


Re: Tired, anyone?

[ Thread ][ Subject ][ Author ][ Date ]
carla schiller (charwitt.us)
Sun, 27 Sep 1998 10:37:24 -0700 (PDT)

I'll be happy to share me day/week. I am finding that I don't give myself
enough credit for the stresses in my life. I am a single mom with two
children at home - 11 and 15 (my 20 year old is in college on the east
coast). I get them and me up in the morning. We leave the house by 7
a.m. and I drop the 11 year old at my folks (thank God for my parents!)
near her middle school. My son and I drive through LA rush hour traffic
to the high school. My conference isn't untiol the last period so I run a
marathon throug Periods 1 through 5. I have three preps: 1st and 2nd
period are Honors 9th grade World History; 3rd period is double-rostered
Honors and AP History of ARt, and 4th and 5th period are double-rostered
AP and Honors Macroeconomics (it changes to Honors/AP American Government
in the spring semester). My students are highly gifted so I don't have
many discipline problems, but we go through material about twice as fast
as with regular classes I've taught, and I average having to answer "I
don't know" about twice per class period! At night I try to grade papers
(they all turn in their work - what they call a "good problem"!), though
my two children need me - to take them places, help with homework, fix
dinner, do laundry, etc. I usually just conk out right after school for
an hour, so I can do my work starting at 10 p.m. when they'e finally gone
to bed. About twice a week I have to go to faculty and/or committee
meetings, one of which I chair. WE are a school-based management school,
which means we are all expected to attend various meetings, as
administrators do, but without any extra pay. On the weekend, I do house
and kid stuff on Friday night and all day Saturday. AT dinner time on
Saturday night, the kids' father collects them until Sunday dinner time,
so that's when I do bills and lessson plans for the next week. Thiis the
third year I've taught these courses. While I finally feel I have
somewhat of a handle on the material, most of my plans and materials from
the past two years are essentially worthless, so I write them all out on
the weekends. HOpefully, next year I'll finally be able to make use of
some of this year's stuff.

I feel constantly sleep deprived and stressed. I don't "take time for
myself" because if I plan anything, it is more stressful to rearrange my
schedule and lose time for the other activities than it is worth. I like
teaching very much (I used to be a corporate lawyer), but I wish it felt
as if I had more time to slow down some.

Thanks for letting me vent/share! Reading some of your stories has helped
me feel less alone and crazy!

--
Carla


Carla Schiller, Esq.
Teacher, Highly Gifted Magnet
North Hollywood High School, CA
e-mail: charwitt.us
webpage index: http://lausd.k12.ca.us/~charwitt/index.html
*************************************************************************************
"Men are from Earth.  Women are from Earth.  Deal with it."
*************************************************************************************






On Thu, 24 Sep 1998 Skiart wrote:


> Michelle:
> I, too, am feeling the effects of coming off of summer and tennis everyday. 
> I get up at 4:00 am, prepare at home, leave at 6:00, get to school at 7:00. I
> do art on a cart, so I spend until 8:30 preparing my carts for the am. I have
> a drawer for each class containing their projects that I have collected to
> comment on or grade. During my free period, I prepare my carts for my
> afternoon classes. I stay a week ahead (I am required to get lessons in by Fri
> for next week, but I am so busy during the week just doing the present week)
> Sometimes I stay at school until 7:00 pm to get everything done before I go
> home, (bulletin boards, grading, clearing my carts). I get home at 8:00, eat
> and go to bed at 8:30. When I get home earlier, I go to bed at 7:00. If I
> don't prepare this much, I won't be fully prepared in the classroom. In a 40
> min class, I have to move like lightning. The kids have to be organized to
> follow strict procedures, so I can be out on time. The teachers don't want me
> to be late for the next class, and I have 0 min. between classes.
> (My husband grocery shops, cooks, serves dinner, cleans up the dishes, cleans
> the house.) On Fri pm, I run a tennis league and play in it, so on Sat I can
> rest, if I don't have an appointment. On the weekend, I do my lessons. I have
> a stockpile from the last 2 years, but I have to write them in my plan book
> for each class. They have to be customized for the art on a cart. 
> What is your day like? It's great to know there are others who do this. Sue
>

  • Maybe reply: Savannah97: ": Re: Tired, anyone?"