The Introverted Educator

 This week I have been thinking about the changing classroom experiences, the actual physical location of my classroom that I have had in my 23-year career. While the Carolinas are full of smiling faces and beautiful places, it is also a place where the average rainfall this winter is about 5 out of 7 days (not a scientific estimate, just my bad attitude assessment). These thoughts have been inspired mainly by offensive amounts of rain this February. I am sensitive to an all-day soaker because I teach out of a trailer. My department volunteered to relocate to the trailers in 2017 with the expectation that our new school would be finished in 2020, and that we would be ahead because we would have things somewhat packed up and ready to relocate in 3 years. But then 2020 did its 2020 things and we are still teaching from our tiny homes. Up to 5 times throughout the school day, I find myself putting on my coat, getting out the umbrella, and hustling into the building for my restroom bre...

A senior emailed me this summer inquiring about the IL Equality Club and if this club was going to continue into the 2020-2021 school year. I am the teacher-advisor of the IL Equality Club, and I was NOT enthused about spending my free time in the 2020-2021 school year advising. Why? I cannot put my finger on exactly why other than a slight feeling of burn-out, and the realization that the club was not living up to its potential. I have always envisioned a club that runs itself. My role would be proud bystander, present to bounce ideas off of and support when needed. In recent years, the club had dwindled to a few students that liked to get together for fun, but their attendance was inconsistent. I found myself waiting, waiting for students to show up, calling meetings that no one came to. Yes, so I was feeling a little burned out and didn't want to sit around and wait. A Change in Delivery.  Then 2020 happens, and we are staring at screens. The senior patiently waited, and when th...

We have been hearing from the news media that this winter is going to be a dark one. Every source known suggested staying home for Thanksgiving. Even the Center for Disease Control urged Americans to avoid traveling in order to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus. Well, of course, we had those "Don't Tread on Me" American Patriots refuse to listen and drive their vacationy hineys down to the sunshine state. One of those American Patriots was me, Hell Yeah, 'Merica! COVID hits ILHS.  Since returning from Florida I have tested negative for COVID-19, but I had coworkers that were not as fortunate. A teacher began displaying symptoms, and confirmation of the illness came after 3 days in the classroom, with students. Not only had they spent 90 minutes a day with small classes, but they also shared space with other teachers. Here is where the real pickle starts. After a confirmed positive COVID diagnosis, now the teachers had to be tested and quarantined. Within 3 days, ou...

I took some time off from entering into my blog for a few reasons. The biggest reason was the presidential election and its subsequent fallout. I am ever so grateful that I am not teaching American government and politics or any sort of American history/civics classes this year. Really, that's all I have to say about that. Well, except one more thing. I am very happy that I do not have to censor my teaching. That is all.  We Made It!  I have titled this entry "We Made It" because we arrived at Thanksgiving break without any major glitches. Indian Land High School has progressed through nearly three grading periods without any major or significant pitfalls. Yes, there have been some students that have tested positive for coronavirus. There have also been some teachers. However, so far, we are still four days a week, maintaining the smaller class sizes. I think this is noteworthy, considering we thought we would be home by mid-September.  Setbacks.  Our district, on th...

Being a teacher has its inherent perks. There are obvious benefits, such as summers off and collecting a paycheck for 12 months out of the year. Being a teacher means I do not have to use vacation time to spend time with family during the holidays and I have a generous amount of sick days should I need them. It is somewhat painless to schedule a day off with no questions asked. These are things that keep me in a profession that has allowed me to visit foreign countries in the summer months and do a lot of hiking and visiting with friends on the weekends.  Some perks are the kind you wouldn't know about if you were not a part of our community. This school year the parent-teacher organization has gifted teachers a cute little double-walled cup with our names on them and a bucket full of candy in the teachers' lounge, along with various snacks and fruit throughout the school year. These small gestures go a long way to making me feel appreciated and welcome.  Two traditions at our...

This week at Indian High School we were student-free on Monday as we had a scheduled professional workday. We spent the morning in our content-area departments in order to discuss best practices. After this, we were given time to work in our classrooms and plan for the week. For me, this was spent putting together the to-do lists that I share with students at the beginning of each unit and updating grades. It was a productive afternoon that I was grateful to have.  Mobile Move . Four years ago, in the 2017-2018 school year, the social studies department moved to mobile units outside the brick-and-mortar school. Our department volunteered as a whole to make the move with the understanding that our new school would be completed in the 2020-2021 school year. We expected three years in the mobiles and accepted the move with mild grumblings of packing and unpacking. The move to the new school has been delayed consistently, and is still undetermined.  The Challenges . Being in a mob...