Am I really going to be science dept chair next year? So strange even thinking of taking on more responsibility (with no pay) when I feel like I'm still so new. But besides a couple of really burnt out teachers in the science dept, i will technically have the most seniority. We've lost teachers to other schools, retirement, and job changes. What a high turn-over rate this profession has.

I think the hardest part of this job is that you're ALWAYS face to face with people. If you're having a bad day, you just can't get away...there's no time to recover because even when the bell rings, a new batch of 37 kids stroll through the door for the next period. Luckily, some of my periods this year are just awesome and totally cheer me up. =) But gosh, where do people get the strength to teach if they don't depend on God? No wonder there are so many angry teachers.

I think being with people all day makes it very difficult to compartmentalize your life. How do people do it anyways? I've always wondered that...keeping emotions and thoughts from one part of life separate from another part. For me, everything just affects everything else. I think it makes me feel immature, like I'm not fully grown up because I can't do it. But maybe it's just the opposite? That I'm fully aware of all my feelings and not suppressing/denying any of them? Does the ability to compartmentalize necessarily mean that someone is suppressing their feelings? Ack, babble. Who knows? Why am i talking to myself on blog? silly me. =)

I'm so proud of my students today. It was the first day of testing (high stakes, state standardized tests) and for the first time, i had a class that actually tried. I am pretty sure it doesn't have anything to do with me, but I'm proud anyways. =)

Most of the students in the school are at the 10th percentile. At least, that's what the paperwork says about our school. They don't take into consideration that we have the largest special ed and non-English speaking populations of any of the schools around us (and no one is exempt from taking the tests). But yes, our students rank really really low. But I'm convinced that most of that is because they just don't try. The tests ARE really hard for them, but they score even lower when they take 30 min to do a 75 min section. It's frustrating to see them give up so soon.

But this year, they were great. Most of them took the entire time alloted to carefully choose their answers. Hopefully, this trend will last the entire 3 days of testing. It'd be so encouraging for the staff to see test scores going up a little - so much depends on them.