Jobs of a Teacher…It’s Not Just About Teaching…

In case you didn’t know, this year I have had a very…unique teaching job.  I work for a company that provides Title One services to non-public schools in Baltimore City.  So, basically, I’m a Math and Reading resource teacher in a private school.  I just don’t work for the school, I work for a private company.  It’s been quite a blast and I hope I’ll be able to do it for many years to come (unfortunately, funding plays a large role in my job, so I have to wait and see…which totally stinks…)  I also took on an after school tutoring-type job this year in a Baltimore City Public School…now talk about a challenge!  This being said, I have realized, this year more so than ever, that being a teacher is not just about teaching.  I’ve always loved the school environment.  As a kid, I loved going to school everyday, and I think that’s a big reason why I chose to become a teacher (having summer’s off definitely makes it more appealing as well…).  Also, I have a pretty vast array of random knowledge stored away in my way cluttered brain.  I’m not saying that I’m really smart or anything, I just know more than my share of junk and I have always figured that was another reason I became a teacher, to share what I know.  This year has challenged both of these ideas.  I have come to the realization that being a teacher is definitely not just about relaying important factual information to today’s youth.  It’s about being a sounding board for children who are struggling through life, giving that support that is needed to feel confident and self-assured, sharing advice with those who are desperate for direction…Many of today’s inner city children seem to be growing up with a chip on their shoulders, living life as if everyone and everything is against them.  I have had countless “mini-counseling sessions” with middle schoolers who haven’t a clue.  One of these sessions occurred with a young man who is about to turn 15.  He’s finishing up the eighth grade and is heading on to high school next year (only by the grace of God and because his teachers are ready for him to move on…).  Now, I don’t say this about every student, but this guy has something special.  He’s an incredibly talented actor, just absolutely hilarious, and he’s a good athlete as well…but here’s the problem, I’ve never seen an angrier kid in my life.  One day in class, I literally thought he was going to hurt us all.  It was like a switch was flipped inside him and he turned into a completely different person.  I have never seen anything like this before; it was crazy.  I wasn’t quite sure what to do, I honestly thought he was going to kill this other kid (who has Aspberger’s and really has no coping mechanisms at all, but that‘s a whole different story…).  So here I am, with a room full of eighth graders, one who is about to tear someone to shreds and another who is crying so hard that I’m not sure he’ll ever be able to stop…uh oh.  Long story short, I was able to eventually diffuse the situation and sent all of the students on to the next class, with the exception of the kid who was fuming with rage.  I sat down and talked to him for almost an hour.  He poured his heart out about how he didn’t understand why he flips out like that, and explained that he was honestly scared to death that he would hurt someone one day.  So there’s an eighth grade boy for you, and the middle school girls…oh my…what a mess!  They are looking for attention so urgently from boys that it is sickening.  Fortunately, I was able to actually share with some of the girls how I “waited for marriage” and that I was very glad I did.  I doubt it will really change their minds about things, but at least I put in my two cents worth, right?  The second graders I worked with in the public school after school were so desperate for attention, they would do anything to get it, including behaving like…animals…Any kind of attention, no matter positive or negative, was fine with them.  All they really wanted was someone to make them feel special.  Each day, no matter how hard it was to deal with inappropriate behavior, I knew it would be worth it.  The hugs and “I love you’s” alone made it all worth while.  So, did I truly realize that when I became a teacher, I was also taking on the role of mentor, counselor, encourager, and in some cases, proxy-parent?  Nope, not at all, but I love every aspect of working with children and wouldn’t have it any other way…

~Blevins - out!

Gone Fishin'

A few of weekends ago, our best friend Dave invited Nick and me to go camping with him.  Now, I’m not that much of a camper…I’ve only been like twice, but, as a general rule, I really enjoy it.  He picked out a really fun place that wasn’t too far away.  We played horseshoes, I got my first ever chance to play shuffleboard, and I got to cross another item off of my list, number 51, “Go Fishing.”  You see, there was this small pond at the campgrounds where you could “catch and release.”  I did not know this before we left, so I was not prepared for the possibility of fishing.  Because of this, we had to shell out about ten bucks for the world’s worst fishing rod, so I could try my hand at fishing.  Unfortunately, this fishing trip was a major fail…  It was kinda windy, so my line kept blowing all around and getting tangled up, plus, I didn’t catch anything at all!  Technically speaking though, I did go fishing, so I am going to count this list item as complete, but I’m hoping to have a chance to try it  again sometime…I’ll keep you updated…:)

~Blevins - out!

Water, Water Everywhere…and Lots of Drops to Drink…

Well, so far, I’ve not been that great at blogging since starting my list, but I have been working hard to try and get some tasks knocked out…

The first major task I chose to tackle was number 66, “Drink only water for month.”  I began this journey on  Monday, April 12 and sadly, I have nothing all that monumental or exciting to report.  I made it all the way until May 12, without drinking a single “non-water” beverage.  You may be thinking, “Surely you saw many benefits from drinking all that water,” and I am here to say, no, I did not.  The only thing it did was make me pee…a lot.  I was hoping to maybe drop a few pounds…not so much…I thought that it might help with my constant dry skin and adult onset acne…nope, not a bit…The good thing is, that I realized I wasn’t quite as addicted to caffeine as I thought I was.  I’m gonna be honest here and say that I was really worried about the sheer quantity of caffeine consumed by me each day.  Every morning I had a diet soda on the way to work.  I would typically have one for lunch and then normally at least one at night with my dinner.  That’s a lot of soda.  I’ve recently been reading about the negative effects of the unnatural sweeteners used in diet sodas, so I thought that perhaps this “water break” would do my body good.  When I think about this experiment that way, I know it helped me.  I think I really do feel better knowing that at least what I’m drinking is good for me.  I’ve actually kept on drinking tons of water, even though my month is over (I average about 80-100 oz per day).  Since May 12, I’ve only had maybe three or four diet sodas, three or four Chick-fil-a sweet teas, a (very, very small) glass of milk, and a Coke Slushy (my jam!).  I think that’s pretty good.  Before you worry about the fact that I’ve only had one small glass of milk in two months, let me assure you that I do take calcium supplements as a part of my daily vitamin regimen.  I detest the taste of milk…chocolate milk is not so bad, but in general I think milk is pretty gross.  I also eat lots of ice cream…so I get some calcium from that right?

So, there you have it…number 66 on my list is now a memory…

~Blevins - out!