Week Seven: Already?

Today, there's a beautiful fall wind blowing fallen leaves around my driveway and lawn. Colors are fantastic, and the weather is turning cold.

It is already Columbus Day. What happened to writing and keeping this thing up? Where did the time go?

I don't think that I anticipated how much work this year would be. Three preps (physics, calculus, and my ninth graders) has been involved so much more than I ever thought it would: grading, curriculum writing, preparing lecture notes and trying to jazz things up and keep the work fresh, not only for the kids, but for me. It was very quickly starting to feel like last year, with full preps (I never imagined TWO prep periods not feeling like enough time), having to get used to advisory (again, with seniors), and the sheer volume of student need.

And oh, this year, are they needy. On the ninth grade, they are needy. If they aren't severely lacking in skills of ANY kind, they are sharp students who need an insane amount of reassurance and structure.

In fact, I'd say this year is almost no different from last year, save for one thing:

I decided to coach cross country this year.

After losing 75 pounds and building up my legs over the summer, I got the lucky break of respite I have been looking for. I've been looking for something ELSE to do with kids, something constructive, yet different from the things I've done with the Drama Club and with the half-hearted attempt at enrichment that was the Chess Club. This year, interest for cross country suddenly flared up, and I took the job. I now coach 8 or 9 kids, all juniors or lower, who are forming the basis for a new team. We run near the school and get a lot of exposure. Kids and teachers alike cheer us on as we run around our city. P even calls me 'Coach', an honor I take to be rare.

It has kept the daily grind fresh. I look forward to practices and to running with the kids. A bunch of my runners have started from nothing, going from short runs in no time (1.5 miles or less) to some long, tough distances (in one case, 6 miles). And while I've lost the kids a couple of times and I've worked through the troubles of two canceled meets, it has really helped to make this year go by.

And go by fast.

Now, this article is one of two updates I need to do. The other is on a movie I saw recently and some research (yes! research!) that I have done about teacher longevity. I will write that tomorrow.