Tag: summer

Here we go again

On By Luther M. SilerIn Teaching1 Comment

Tried to find an appropriate image for summer school and couldn’t find anything I really liked, so feel free to enjoy this ultra-rare photo of two of my three cats sharing my lap. It could have been better if one of them was looking at the camera or both of them were in focus, but I was worried that any movement at all might cause one or both of them to bolt, so I took what I could get.

Anyway, summer school, or, sorry, the Summer Learning Program, since technically I’m not employed by any school district for the next several weeks, starts tomorrow. I have to be there at 8:00, have an entire hour of prep, then three hours of teaching, then I do that 21 more times and then I’m done. I have ten kids on one roster and twelve at another, so we’ll see how many actually show up. I know one of them already and she’s awesome. Tomorrow is a survey and a pre-test and some getting to know you activities. Tomorrow there’s a different pre-test. Actual regular day stuff starts Wednesday. The curriculum is all pre-baked. There’s literally no accountability for anyone involved. This should be easy as hell.

Please, let this be easy as hell.

And another one gone

On By Luther M. SilerIn Reviews, TeachingLeave a comment

That’s twenty-two years, I think? Twenty-three? Who the hell knows.

One of the things that happened at the event we went to last night was recognition of three retiring faculty members, and in fact there was a reception immediately afterward for them that we did not attend. The three had been teaching for, respectively, 29 years, 36 years, and a staggering 42 years, all at the same school.

If I retire from teaching, rather than eventually just quitting, I’ll surely be at at least 29 years. 36 is quite a bit harder to imagine. But 42? Imagine having taught for 22 years and still having the equivalent of an entire career to go before retirement. She was where I am and was barely halfway through. The notion that I’ll still be alive in 2046 much less still teaching is genuinely too terrifying to take seriously.

It turns out I was being very optimistic by suggesting that I might be able to come home from the last day of school and still have the mental capacity necessary to write a book review. Further complicating the problem is that various parts of my personality are at war with various other parts of my personality over how to write it, and the whole thing still needs to cook a little bit longer. It’s already got the lowest rating I’ve ever given a book I was sent for review; the question remaining is how … I dunno, I wanna say honest, but I think I mean abusive, I should be in the actual text of the thing. I am trying to tamp down my inner barbarian here, is what I’m saying. The only question is whether that’s the right move.

Probably. But we’ll see. The review definitely won’t be tomorrow but I’ll try to have it up on Saturday.

I may need school to start

On By Luther M. SilerIn life1 Comment

I think “malaise” is the right word to describe my last few days. I’m not in the mood for anything, I took a five-hour “nap” this afternoon because despite a cup of coffee and a Mountain Dew I was falling asleep every time I sat down for more than a few seconds, and my stomach and head hurt. I know this is my third day in a row with a nothing post, but Christ, I can’t get my brain moving to save my life right now. I emailed my boss just now to find out when the building was going to be open again. I have enough stuff changing this year– a new curriculum, just for starters, and I’m seriously thinking about going permanently back to pencil and paper assignments and saying to hell with the iPads entirely– that I really ought to start heavy thinking and planning, and I may as well do that in my classroom if I can.

But … man. Right now I just want my head to turn back on.

NVM

On By Luther M. SilerIn lifeLeave a comment

Granted, the thermometer outside the window in my kitchen is in constant direct sunlight, but it says 108 degrees. Yesterday I was out of town. Today I have spent a significant amount of my time awake attached to the toilet. I haven’t had a Mounjaro Day in months, but that’s really what this feels like, and one way or another, it’s 8:06 PM and I’m done with today and going to bed.

I gotta get my shit together

On By Luther M. SilerIn idiocy5 Comments

As you might expect, I follow a lot of teachers on my social media accounts, especially on TikTok. And one thing I see a lot of this time of year is teachers who are being really defensive and insisting that we Don’t Really Get Summers Off, because of … I dunno, planning and continuing education and a bunch of other stuff.

I have been teaching for over twenty years, and large portions of my job are muscle memory by now. I very much have my summers off and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. If you think that’s unfair you are absolutely welcome to become a teacher, and if you’re not running to do that, well, you must not be that upset about my summers.

I’m a week into summer break now, and y’all, I am seriously in need of a routine or a project or some shit like that. I cannot just stare at my phone and take naps all summer long, and I am dying over here.

This has got to be Find a Project week. I’m going to a Counting Crows concert next Saturday, so that can be my reward for having a productive week, right?

Sure.

Nothing tonight

On By Luther M. SilerIn BlogwankingLeave a comment

Been doing all my usual shit today– cleaned up and organized around the house a bit, read a book and a half, put together part of a Lego set, played some video games. Y’know, nerd shit. But hell if I have anything to say about any of it. I’m rooting for injuries in the Trump/Elon thing. Trying really hard to not complain about being bored. Christ, I’m not even a week into vacation yet.

Fully expecting to have things thrown at my head the next time I go into public.

In which that was the right move

On By Luther M. SilerIn TeachingLeave a comment

My CPAP still isn’t working properly, so last night I stuffed earplugs in my ears, took three Tylenol PM and slept so hard that somehow at some point during the night I pulled the hose out of my mask and didn’t wake up. I would have called that impossible before yesterday, as it’s both loud and suddenly even more difficult to breathe than normal, non-CPAP-assisted prone breathing is. And I slept until nine, which hasn’t happened in long enough that I don’t remember the last time I slept in that far. And then I spent the entire day hanging out with my son and reading, and I’m currently at peace enough with the world that my district sent out the internal transfer list and I only very briefly glanced at it, which I would have done anyway, because that type of thing is always fun.

We need way, way too many math teachers in my district right now, and I have a sneaking suspicion I’m going to end up with another Goddamned overload next year. Which I’m of two minds about. It means another year with no breaks– remember, I walk into my classroom at 8:00 AM and I’m supervising kids until 3:20 with no pauses of any kind– but it also immunizes me against getting asked to cover anyone else’s classroom on my prep period, which I absolutely hate doing.

But whatever. There’s six weeks of school left– and the next two ought to fly by, since we’ve got state testing– and then I’ve got summer break to recenter myself. I needed today. Hopefully I can go into Monday with a better attitude.

What I did today

On By Luther M. SilerIn GeekLeave a comment

This little bastard isn’t much to Puzzle People, I imagine, and it’s not a ton of pieces or anything, but it occupied a couple of hours of my afternoon and then immediately got photographed, torn apart, and given to my wife. If you look carefully there are a bunch of nautical-themed pieces in there which was a cool little touch. Also, a lot of those pieces don’t really lock together all that well so I kept accidentally shoving them out of place and having to put everything back together.

Other than that? It’s Wednesday. Comic shop. Tomorrow, I get to go to the dump. I’m super excited.