June was an interesting month, with not a whole lot of room for interpretation or breathing space.
On the first week, students finished their Finals.
On the second week, student did their “Student Led Conferences”, which entailed them giving an oral presentation on what they had learned and accomplished throughout the entire course of the year. This was followed by a “Field Day” celebration at the park.
On the third week, we had end of the year field trips, followed by 8th grade graduation where I said goodbye to many of my favorite (and least favorite) students.
On the fourth week, I went to Hawaii for the end of the year trip, which entailed more babysitting and driving than anything else.
Rounding out the month is the final week, where I began working immediately for Fairmont Summer Programs (my fourth, and perhaps final year).
In between all the turmoil and business that came with end of the year shenanigans came an even deeper level of bonding between me and my-coworkers, which I’m hoping will evolve even more next year since I will most likely be staying at the same school. If I do manage to stay in LA next year, I think I will have to spend more weekends there to get a better feel for living independently (as opposed to what I did this year where I went back to Garden Grove most weekends).
I also have come to realize that I have so much more energy when I’m not working at Rise or not teaching in general. I am able to do things after work without feeling fatigued the next day. That just goes to show the amount of stress and responsibility the actual teaching practice entails, which is why I highly respect anyone that would be willing to commit to such hard work and low pay, while simultaneously having to deal with politicians who constantly “blame” teachers for low test scores and bad performance. Maybe that’s an indication of a career shift in the future, but I think I’ll stay put for the time being.
I will also began my master’s program in about two weeks, completing an online 14-month program for a Master’s in Education with an emphasis on teaching Social Studies (merely for that piece of paper which will inevitably give me a raise in the coming year).
