Being the New Kid on the Block: Week 1

Maybe that's why there's a "donut rule"...

This has been an interesting first week to say the least. Monday was my first school cancellation due to icy rain, but that couldn’t stop the advisors’ trip to the Farm Show and Mid-winter FFA Convention. Next, Tuesday brought my first two-hour delay and also my official initiation as the “new kid on the block.” At Tri Valley there is an unofficial rule that a each new staff member must bring in enough donuts/treats for the rest of the school staff. Lucky for me, Mrs. Dingman had warned me about this rule that morning as a new secretary had been caught with it, so when I was bombarded at lunch in the faculty lunchroom, I was already prepared to know that she voted me exempt from the “donut rule” since I was only temporary (and a poor college student).

After narrowly escaping the “donut rule” now came the hard part – learning names. Wednesday through Friday has become a blur of trying to learn the names of both my coworkers and students; (un)fortunately the names I’ve picked up so far tend to be (good) students I interacted with earlier in the year, or students who need some help focusing on their work in the classroom. Though the students’ reactions are quite funny the first time they hear me say their names.

It's official now...

Most of this week has been spent observing Mrs. Dingman teach, learning names, some of her “unwritten rules” and generally how the students typically interact with each other in the classroom. The current grading quarter ends this upcoming Tuesday, so the majority of the students in her classes right now I will have once I start teaching next week, though the section of 8^th graders will rotate and some of the upperclassmen will attend the vo-tech school instead of our agriculture classes.

In addition to learning names, this week has also been learning the general layout of the school; now I can find my way around the building without getting (too) lost. With my new ID badge and internet account I am officially part of the school staff, complete with my first faculty meeting Thursday afternoon and my first experience jamming and un-jamming the copier. Overall, the week is wrapping up nicely, slowly becoming acclimated and pushing through assignments and planning for upcoming lessons. To finish off my first week I will be observing one of the biology teachers Friday afternoon and getting ready for my first in-service day this Monday while my students enjoy another three-day weekend.

Week 1 down, 14 to go!