New Teacher Orientation

Well, I kind of said this in the little blurb on the side, but I'll write it here too, in order to explain who I am and what I'm doing here. I am a first-year teacher at a HUGE rural-suburban high school. I just graduated with my teaching certification in May, and am extremely lucky to have gotten a position in this particular district. I am going to keep this blog as a professional development/sanity saving tool. I kept a journal during student teaching and found it to be tremendously helpful on two levels. First, simply to have a space to anonymously vent about whatever I need to get out... Second, to keep a record of my experiences so I can learn from them. I suspect the next couple of years are going to be somewhat tumultuous and it would certainly help to remember what happened so I can learn from it: to be able to return to my thoughts and reflect at a later date.

As I said, I've just gone through my first week of New Teacher Orientation at school. In an effort to create anonymity, I will call it Huge High. You think I'm kidding! This school is bigger than anything I've ever seen. Actually, I haven't even seen it, I've only been on a tour of half the building because it took so long. Sometime in the next week I will have to venture out of my comfort zone and into the other half so I know where I'll need to go to cover my study halls. I have only ever attended or taught in small schools. My high school was about 500 students, my first college was only about 1500, then the two schools I taught at were 900 and 700 respectively (and that 700 consisted of grades 7-12!!). So to be in a building that has over 200 teachers alone... and 3200 students under one roof... well, it's a little overwhelming and it hasn't even been filled with kids yet!

I discovered very quickly how amazing it is that I was even hired. When I found out I had this interview, I discovered that my interview was one of only three chosen from a file drawer of applicants about 2 feet deep. Everyone in the orientation group (at the high school anyhow) has either transferred from another district or already been teaching as a sub in this school. I am officially the only one who was hired "straight out of the box." So on one hand, it's wonderful that I'm being given this opportunity, and I am eternally grateful. On the other, it's terrifying that I'm being given such high expectations. The bar is set really high here, and I'm not secure enough in my abilities to feel completely comfortable. As I said to someone today: "I don't know how I'm going to survive the next two weeks... I'm pretty sure something catastrophic is going to happen."

After the first week of orientation, I feel like I haven't gotten very far in my planning for the school year ahead. We spent the week getting acquainted with the district and the school, but as far as any lesson or activity preparation, I've done nothing. I haven't met my mentor yet, that comes this week, and I wanted to be sure to talk to him before I get too deep into the planning phase. There are just so many questions and I'd really like to talk with him before I go into this blindly. So far I've gotten my desk a bit settled. I don't have a classroom, my desk is in an office/faculty lounge, which I'm sure I'll be discussing in greater detail later. I've taken in some personal and desk-y items, and have a whole list of stuff I need to take in next week, because I won't be able to function till I have a space that is truly "me!" I've been trying to create a website, but can't figure out enough Mac-basics to get very far (grrrrrr) on my school computer. Oh yeah and I was all proud I did my seating charts, only to discover I created them in Training-Mode on the database, so none of them are saved and I have to start over....

Only other thing I have to report is meeting people. I've met an absolutely amazing role-model English teacher who I'm sure is going to be on speed-dial. She is a tech-goddess!! I'm going to drive the poor girl nuts, I'm so glad to have met her already. And I met a very nice math teacher whose desk is a few over from mine. Hallelujah for people who are friendly and assertive enough to introduce themselves!! Not everyone has been super-friendly, but I'd say a majority of the administrators/other teachers have at least been cordial, which is something I was worried about in this notoriously clique-y district.