Stargate Loving Teachers

[tsaxlady]

My current class load has me teaching Band, Choir, Guitar, Jazz Band, Skills for Success and CJSF advisor at the middle school level.

[TheXym]

I'm also a dept. chair, and I have a jr. high choir, a sr. high choir, music theory (alternating years with music literature, this is a theory year), and intro to music technology. Plus a study hall, which stinks, but at least it's in my room so I can work with choir kids during that lunch mod if needed and it keeps me from having lunch duty. 7 times is about 7 too many.

I have 2 lesson periods which are usually pretty packed, although my lunch period is given up to work with kids for district/regional/state chorus or college auditions about 4 of 5 days each week, and my prep is usually bass practice time (depending on their schedules, some of my students come down and I help them).

[gater62]

I'm seeing a pattern of music teachers with a lot on their plates! I see the same at my school as well. While our band teachers may not have a lot in terms of classes, they do quite a bit with extracurricular activities. Our band has been out this week in the parking lot practicing marching. My daughter is in choir, and she has been up at the high school this week for a choir camp. Several other school districts have brought their students to participate as well.

Well today and tomorrow I'm working on recruiting freshmen for UIL Acadeimics. I coach spelling by default (no one else would do it) and assist with CX debate, speaking events, and drama. We're having a camp tomorrow to introduce kids to the different types of events. Our school has not been very successful in academic competitions of late and we're trying to turn it around. I'm being expected to give up my conference period (planning period) a couple of times a week to help with the coaching. I don't mind, but I need to adjust!

[Nolamom]

I feel pretty good about having just 4 preps for the last year and this year - Sociology, AP Economics, Honors Economics and regular Economics. That with two newbie teachers to mentor ought to keep me busy, hehehe.

[tsaxlady]

Today was our first day with students and it was a crazy day. My schedule changed three times earlier this week and I had to have the office print me off a schedule yesterday to make sure I was at the correct class each block today. My "Skills for Success" class is in a different room from all my music classes. Well you can imagine if I had to work to make sure I was in the correct place all day how confused some of the students were. The schedules for the "Skills' class had been printed with 3 different rooms listed so it took almost 20 minutes to find all the students and get them in the correct room.

Tomorrow will be a fun day for me because it all the class are band classes which are my favorite to teach. So I have 3 band classes tomorrow and then I head to Vegas for the Trek Convention

[scifithinker]

Wow, school's back in session already for you. I'm still in denial that the school year's going to start soon.

My region of Virginia (southeastern) has something we refer to as the Scooby Doo law. Since tourism is such an important part of the economy, public schools cannot start until the day after Labor Day. I have to say I rather like it...until June rolls along and we're still in school for a couple of weeks.

[gater62]

And I thought starting school was crazy here!

[gater62]

Wow, school's back in session already for you. I'm still in denial that the school year's going to start soon.

My region of Virginia (southeastern) has something we refer to as the Scooby Doo law. Since tourism is such an important part of the economy, public schools cannot start until the day after Labor Day. I have to say I rather like it...until June rolls along and we're still in school for a couple of weeks.

Lol-in denial!

Texas did the same thing, but no one can start til Aug 27th. The radio announcers were saying that the law made it to where all Texas schools had to start on the same day. Maybe Nolamom can verify this?

[gater62]

Wow, school's back in session already for you. I'm still in denial that the school year's going to start soon.

My region of Virginia (southeastern) has something we refer to as the Scooby Doo law. Since tourism is such an important part of the economy, public schools cannot start until the day after Labor Day. I have to say I rather like it...until June rolls along and we're still in school for a couple of weeks.

Are you in Norfolk? I was stationed there at the Naval base and Little Creek!

[tsaxlady]

We are on what is called a modified schedule. The school used to be a year round school but they changed to a modified schedule 10 years ago. We start the first week in August. Then take a week off in mid October, 2 1/2 weeks for Christmas, a two week Spring break and end the last week in May. I like the schedule - we do get 8 weeks off during the summer. The week off in October is really nice.

[scifithinker]

Are you in Norfolk? I was stationed there at the Naval base and Little Creek!

Yep. I was a navy brat as a kid and have since taught a whole slew of navy brats here. It seems that most everybody in the navy does a tour here at some point.

[TheXym]

We have in-service the 23rd and 24th, then the students come back the 27th. I'm actually ready to go back, but I head out for vacation this afternoon for a week to see family in Maryland and the Dream Theater concert in the Inner Harbor on Tuesday (my wife bought me the platinum VIP package for our anniversary, so I'll be front row center and backstage).

How's everyone's schedule set up? We've avoided the scourge of block scheduling so far, and have nine 41 minute class periods daily, plus a 15 minute homeroom.

[gater62]

We are on accelerated block schedule. The day is made up of 4 90 minute blocks and a lunch period. I teach 3 blocks in the fall and 3 in the spring (a total of 6 classes.) In other words, we teach a full years curriculum in a half year. (Yikes!) This is especially hard on kids-if they miss one day, they really miss about 2 days of material.

There are some things I like about the block, but I wish we had alternating block. Then I would see my students all year and have them for more classroom hours.

I start inservice on the 20th. The 23rd is half day inservice/half day workday. The 24th is a workday. Kids come back to school on the 27th. (I'm jealous, TheXym! Only 2 days inservice instead of 3 and a half!) We will be in school for a week and then have a holiday-Labor Day!

[scifithinker]

My school system has a full week for staff to work and attend meetings before students return to school. I've always found it to be a good length of time because it provides staff the chance to collaborate with colleagues who teach the same subject, get some lesson plans written, and work on their classrooms. let's face it, the meetings aren't going anywhere.

[gater62]

My school system has a full week for staff to work and attend meetings before students return to school. I've always found it to be a good length of time because it provides staff the chance to collaborate with colleagues who teach the same subject, get some lesson plans written, and work on their classrooms. let's face it, the meetings aren't going anywhere.

If only our inservices were like that-ones of collaboration. Instead we have 3 days of meetings one of which is the various principals giving us the procedures for attendance, books, etc. Usually they bring in someone to spend a day with the teachers, lately on discipline. We also get 1/2 day with the district at a presentation by a motivational speaker. The workdays tend to be the most productive as well-I can get a lot done in a day, plus catch up with friends who I haven't seen over the summer.