to-do list – Welcome to infinitefreetime dot com

I’m writing this at Otherjob on Monday night. I’m going to try not to die while I’m doing it.

I got to school with 45 items on the To-Do List of Doom; by the time I’d made it from the front door of the building to my classroom it was up to 48. Like, seriously, walking down the hallway people gave me three more things to do. The list stands at 27 right now and I’m hoping to have it down to 23 or 24 by the end of the night. Hopefully we won’t be busy. (EDIT: Down to 22, only one or two of which can feasibly be done here, and I don’t feel like them. I’ve done well today.)

The manager has me scheduled until “close” and the sixteen year old kid I’m working with scheduled until 11:00, which is odd, since I’m closing this place down at ten o’clock if my life depends on it. Tomorrow’s the last day until the kids arrive and, for the first time since June, I’m actually getting paid to be there– which, of course, means that I need to be there at 7:15. No way in hell am I gonna make it to work at 7:15 if I’m at work until past eleven.

Parent night is at 5:00. I have until then to convince myself that I know how to do this. I’m in good shape, but it’s still gonna be pushing it.

Lotta stuff to get done today. Let’s hope for very few meetings.

Okay, y’all. Remember that to-do list I mentioned on Friday? No? Too bad, because this is it. Some names changed to protect the innocent.

❏ Check (other teacher’s) data files
❏ Check pencil sharpeners
❏ Clean classroom
❏ Complete new Dropbox folders
❏ Create email roster for Parent Night
❏ Create/print textbook number rosters for each class
❏ Decouple 6th grade folder from dropbox
❏ Determine how math grades work– two classes, one grade?
❏ Determine which curriculum maps belong to Algebra class
❏ Email (yearbook lady) WRT yearbook
❏ Email staff about new Dropbox stuff
❏ Extra set of clothes for parent night
❏ Figure out DC fundraiser
❏ Figure out DC meeting
❏ Figure out the rest of the letters
❏ Figure out/arrange desks
❏ Find 7th grade workbooks
❏ Find some sort of bell-ringer book
❏ Find/count textbooks
❏ Finish student folders
❏ Get dates/schedule into lesson plan book
❏ Make sure we have a new yearbook advisor
❏ Mount whiteboard
❏ Move computer files over to my new account
❏ Nail bookshelf back together
❏ Organize file folders
❏ Print and bind algebra curriculum map
❏ Print out rosters– demerits, tardies, homeroom collectibles
❏ Print packets for Parent Night
❏ Pull one computer out from under table
❏ Put student birthdays on calendars
❏ Read through and mark up discipline plan
❏ Schedule union meeting for next week
❏ Seating charts???
❏ Talk to (four other teachers) about Success spreadsheet
❏ Track down potential new union members
❏ Track down union people
❏ Update data files for 2013-14
❏ Update materials/rules/discipline policy if necessary
❏ Update Teacher Assistant
❏ Write first day letter/email collection letter
❏ Write lesson plans for 1st three days of school
❏ Write sub/emergency plans
❏ Write syllabus for Algebra

Note that even though some things seem to be duplicates, they’re really not. For example, “figure out desks” and “seating charts???” are two completely different activities– one is determining where to put the desks in the room, which is a pedagogical decision involving thinking about lines of sight, management, grouping, and other considerations (not to mention aesthetics) and another is purely a management decision– I’ve gone two years without a seating chart in any of my classes, but at least one of my groups I think is going to demand one. Two of them, I think, can handle non-assigned seats.

I think only one item on the list is genuinely optional. Maybe two. Everything else needs to be done by 5 PM on Tuesday because that’s when Parent Night starts, and school starts on Wednesday.

You will forgive me if this is the only post today. I have things to do.