I have now transformed into a circus ring master instead of a teacher.  Running an 84 minute period is nothing short of exhausting.  I keep hearing my former principal in my head saying the teacher shouldn’t do all the work.  Well, that is ALL I am doing.  Our training for block scheduling recommended that we have at least 3 different activities planned during a class.  This is where I feel like a circus ring master.  We were encouraged to get the students up and moving during that time.  When I do that, students moan saying they are too tired, or complain that the new ginormous desks are too heavy to move around in a small group.

Keep in mind that only the English and science department are following a block schedule that meets with students every other day.  It is almost like a double whammy for teachers in these two departments because students dread the fact that they have to sit that long in ONLY those two classes, where as every other class is 48 minutes long.  I would dread it too!  Seeing students every other day is also a challenge for due dates of assignments, especially  for special education students who have extended time on written assignments and projects .  Even if we don’t see that student during the time that they have an extension, is it their responsibility to see me, or turn things in on their own? Yeah, right!  Also, if a student is absent, it is like they have missed two classes!  Missing school is going to be a challenge for some of our students who don’t regularly come to school.  Once they get back and realize how much they missed in science and English, might that lead students to give up?

Not only are we dealing with a new schedule, some of us anyway, we have a new computer program, a new grading program and our rooms are in disarray because construction of new heating units is not yet completed.  Text books, novels, dictionaries are all in boxes in the back of my room.  Where I normally have things placed in my room are displaced.  All of this just makes for a feeling of major confusion and disorganisation. I haven’t talked to any other teachers that have a schedule like ours.  Maybe you are out there.  If you have suggestions as to what I can do to make my class run smoother, I would love to hear them.