10 more days of school

I have only ten more days of work before I start vacation. I'm very excited about the idea that I will not have to go to school for some time.

The hard part is that I have so much work to do in that amount of time. I have to do report cards for all of my kids. I have to plan a parent night and teach parents how to do the math that we are teaching. I have to plan lessons that will be meaningful and hopefully that the kids will learn from. I start my after school tutoring job tomorrow and have four sessions of that before vacation. All of this and I have an evaluation this Friday.

I never used to worry about evaluations but I've had some surprises on a few in the last two years and I don't want to repeat that this year.

Two years ago I had a surprise because my principal said that I was lacking in a skill that I was supposed to have been taught while I was out having the twins. It was an approved leave through FMLA and should not have effected my job performance. I requested the assistance of my reading coach on learning this skill and did not receive help. I did not feel that it should have been on my evaluation.

Last year I got a shocker from my principal. She didn't think that I did enough for the kids. Even though she did not know anything about the advanced science curriculum that I was teaching, the cross age tutoring, the after school art classes that I taught for free and the great communication that I had with the parents. She didn't take the time to come visit my room. I guess that I should have bragged more often. It's amazing how not bragging about your work can hurt you.

This year I'm trying to lay low. I don't want to know the administration too much. I don't want them in my room because frankly I don't feel that they support me so I don't want them in my way. I'm not doing a lot of the extra things that I have done in years past because I'm new to the district, state, and area and haven't even finished unpacking all of the way yet. I also do not plan on being at that school next year.

I do my job. I inform the office of situation that occur in my classroom. I go to committee meetings and work with my team. I have been to two after school events in which I was not paid and even brought my kids to one of them. I taught Saturday science academy last weekend and will this upcoming weekend and I will be teaching after school tutoring this next semester.

I'm doing stuff but I also eat lunch in my room. I don't do the cutesy secret Santa type stuff and I'm not going to the Christmas party. (In which I would have to pay $5 to go, provide my own food and provide my own alcohol?!?!?) I'm friendly with the staff and will joke around but I honestly don't know half of their names and I'm not even going to try.

I don't regret the way that I'm acting this school year. I feel that I am doing a lot at the school but I'm not getting too personal. There are a lot of benefits because there are no rumors about me and I don't have anyone that hates me. It also means that I'm not sure what to expect on this evaluation.

To make things even harder, my principal will still be out of work because of recovery from surgery. The Vice Principal is going to be busy running the school so the district has this other woman that is acting principal two or three days a week until the regular principal returns. So I had this additional unknown. I don't even know her name. I don't know the little things that she will be picky about.

As much as I joke that I don't care and say that I wish that they would fire me, I do care. At least I do care that they think that I'm doing a good job. I'm weird in that I'm very secure in what I do and I need constant positive feedback. I know I'm right and I want people to tell me.

So that's happening Friday. I'm hoping that half of my kids are sick or suspended or something. My fingers are crossed.

Either way, there's only ten more days.