Wednesday, August 30, 2006

let the chaos begin

Tomorrow morning bright and early I will begin to prepare for the rush of students who will come into my room seaking their class locator cards. Lucky for me I have the letter "D" (the "G", "L", "M", and "N" people have it rough).

I am SO not ready for school to start. But, is going to start ready or not.

The school isn't even really ready.

This year we have jumped on the Freshman Year restructuring band wagon. It is all good in theory to put 9th graders in houses. I even agree with a lot of the data, but man has our school really created a FUBAR situation.

For example, the freshman have a separate lunch(with a different bell schedule), part of which is designed to enable them to attend mandatory tutoring if they have a "D" or and "F". They will not eat with the upper classes. Now, here is the rub, I teach beginning drama period 4, I have freshmen in period 4, freshmen lunch is during period 4, my drama students need to be outside to rehearse during period 4. Do you see the problems yet? think...

If you guessed, freshmen can't go to lunch during their class, that the class can't rehearse outside because it campus is full of freshmen you have guessed correct.

I sought adminstrative guidance on how to deal with these problems. Here are the answers...

1. These freshmen will eat with the upper classes.
2. My drama class will rehearse in the theatre and the grassy area in front of the school.

I'm fine with this. But doesn't the freshmen eating lunch with the upperclassmen defeat the purpose of separating them from the upperclassmen in the first place?

I'm so confused.

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