I've found my niche! Hooraaaaaay! - H

Have I said this already? A couple of people (former students) have noticed that I'm happier this year than last. I guess I tended to be crabby?? It's a combination of working part-time, teaching a new curriculum, and having a batch of older students to work with. It's just more up my alley, and much less stressful for me. It's not the content that's difficult. It's the million and one things that freshman teachers have to juggle. It's not only a matter of teaching the material, but handling newbies who are dealing with the shocking differences and elevated expectations of high school, teaching a routine, and thinking about all the details that have to be explicitly stated, piled on a bunch of other things. On top of that there's a wide range of student abilities and motivation simply b/c it's a course everyone has to take versus a class that students choose to take. So, you have a ton of students that just don't like the subject at all and clearly can't wait for the class to be over. In my classes this year though, most of the students are very motivated. It makes a big difference.

One week until my next day off! Camping, here we come! We're going to go down to Sequoia National Park to see the big trees. We're planning to go to this remote part of the park. The road there takes 2 hours to drive b/c of all the changes of direction. Seems like it'll be really beautiful though. I'm hoping for some good hiking, clear skies, a full moon, and lots of stars. I think I'm going to try some low-light photography if there's some good scenery. Hooraaaaaay!!!!