As for school, I've been feeling totally uninspired lately.  When I think about why I got into this business, I remember fantasizing about working a cushy suburban job with a fully functioning science lab at my disposal.  After all, I was going to be dual certified in biology and chemistry, and everyone told me that I would have no problem finding a job like that with my qualifications.  I searched and searched, but never landed that white whale of a job.  Currently, I'm teaching chemistry and biology in a lab that does not have running water!  No water for chemistry?  It's the universal solvent.  No water for biology?  It's necessary for all life on earth!  To make matters worse, I do not have the gas lines necessary to light a bunsen burner.  I have hot plates and butane torches, and though they warm things up, they don't give the learner the same visual or kinesthetic experience provided by a bunsen burner.  I have limited access to chemicals and glassware.  My lab lacks a fume hood, preventing me from doing any demonstrations or labs that would release noxious gases.  I am underequipped, underfunded, and uninspired.

I want to do my best work.  Could I be more creative?  Probably, though it might require dipping into my own shallow pockets.  Can I make more excuses?  Endlessly, though they will not better my situation.  Can I expect anything to change?  Unlikely, unless I find a new job.  Keep looking.

I put up this blog with the intention of creating fresh content every day based on my school year experiences.  We're a week in, and I can't say I've been faithful to you, blog.  Sorry.  I'll try to make time for you every day.  

Monday cracked the school year wide open with the first official detention of the year.  I actually awarded two prizes in one period.  My day went well until eighth period.  I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with that class.  It's full of smart, chatty kids.  I don't mind chatty when appropriate, but I, like anyone, get aggravated when I have to stop my instruction several times throughout the period to focus the room on the lesson.  We were doing an activity that involved cutting up a sheet full of facts into paper strips and making a timeline.  It's a social activity intended to give an appreciation for the history of science.  The activity worked well all day and eighth period managed to focus long enough to make headway on the game.  I roamed about the room to help each group and validate correct answers.  I cannot turn my back on this class.  I can tell we've got a long way to go with trust.  I helped one group, turned my back to help another, and I hear some heated discussion behind me that culminates in the phrase "Go suck a dick" being uttered by a young girl to a young man, loud enough to disrupt the entire class and cause laughter amongst the students.  I suppressed a chuckle.  Not knowing exactly how to correct such blatant disrespect, I asked the class whether or not that was appropriate behavior and to identify which rule the student had violated.  The class agreed that it was not appropriate and that it was a violation of rule one, which is "Respect everyone and everything in the classroom."  I moved on, informed the girl that she would have a consequence, and got back to the lesson.  Minutes later, the boy who was told to fellate someone became involved in a paper tossing incident with another student.  He continued to talk back while I addressed his behavior, so I wrote his name on the board.  He received a check for continuing to talk.  Then a second.  Apparently he feared no consequence, so I gave him three checks next to his name which resulted in an immediate 15 minute detention for that day and a full-length detention for the next day and he became my second prize winner of the period.

 He spent his 15 minutes after school cleaning my room.  We discussed his behavior and my expectations and how the two did not meet today in class.  He seemed to understand and he sincerely apologized for his behavior.  Sufficiently humbled, I let him go after 15 minutes with his detention slip for the next day.  

Tuesday was a smooth day.  I participated in a colleague's class, pretending to hold up his students to stage a crime scene to be investigated.  I dressed up in a wacky hat and overcoat and had fun tossing out cliches about robbery and other criminal activity.  One student, a talented artist, drew a little WANTED poster of me.  I denied the allegations, crying innocence, inventing an alibi.  That broke up the day nicely.  Even eighth period went well.  Message received.  Screw up and suffer the consequences.  Monday's unwilling volunteers let me set an example for the rest of the class.  

I seem to have this pattern where my day goes well until eighth period.  Unfortunately, my day went well until seventh period today because I have that particular class for a 90 minute block twice a week, extending my misery and testing my patience.  I had a solid 90 minutes of stuff to do, but it did not prove itself an effective deterrent against my chatty kids.  We accomplished most of what I wanted to do.  Their chattiness forced them into a homework assignment that should have been finished in class.  I'll see if that message is received tomorrow.  I think I will rearrange their seats to minimize socializing.  

All told, the year is off to a nice start.  I like all of my kids, even the chatty bratty ones.  I know we will resolve our differences soon.  Tomorrow is Thursday.  Time flies when you're teaching.  I start every class wondering how I'm going to get through those 45 minutes and end up wondering where the time went when the bell rings too early.  I overplan, but that's a good problem to have.