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You just said yesterday they had valid points, now it's just to get you fired? Are they valid or not? These kids remember are not evaluating you in a bubble, they are comparing the education they are getting under you versus the previous teacher.
A lot of our students are "repeat clients" so, yeah, they probably are comparing me, a new teacher who has never worked full-time at a real school and has missed out on all of the training and experience such a job affords--even this job isn't exactly a school, but it's the closest I've gotten so far--with the previous teacher, a retired special education teacher with years upon years of experience, tricks, and resources. There is no comparison, really. Of course an expert is going to be better than a novice.
Am I doing the kids a disservice by being in the position? Maybe, if they can find someone as good as the one who moved on. I do have my strengths, though. It's just the connection that I'm missing, and it's kind of difficult for me to manage behavior sometimes, maybe because of the problems I have connecting with people.
Maybe I could try something simple like programming a reminder into my phone or sending myself an email with a checklist? I need to try something, I guess.
An old fashioned paper tablet and pen works well too. Try that. I still use one for some lists and I've been teaching/using computers for 20 years.
An old fashioned paper tablet and pen works well too. Try that. I still use one for some lists and I've been teaching/using computers for 20 years.
Apparently, I'm not the only one who loses track of some of our many duties. Another teacher was venting about having trouble keeping up with it all, too. I don't feel so alone now, and I think I could help them come up with solutions.
Teaching is in all likelihood not the field for you. I see a lot of posts from you that indicate you cannot deal with the stress and demands of teaching, which I know about as I taught at a public high school for several years without formal teaching experience. Being a teacher requires interpersonal skills and social awareness, which though no fault of your own, is not your strong point.
Children, in general, are not out to get you...you use words such as "punish" and "reward" which indicates that you don't really know how to handle students. I don't think you're teaching at an inner city high school as that's on another level...
I would suggest administrative work at a post-secondary educational institution, but you will run into the same roadblocks you do in your current environment.
If you are serious about getting out of this field, pick up computer programming. No, you do not need to go back to school for this. Many programmers are self-taught. Of course, you need a dedicated studying habits and a routine to stick to. I've known several people that might have autistic tendencies that have succeeded very well in this field.
Teaching is in all likelihood not the field for you. I see a lot of posts from you that indicate you cannot deal with the stress and demands of teaching, which I know about as I taught at a public high school for several years without formal teaching experience. Being a teacher requires interpersonal skills and social awareness, which though no fault of your own, is not your strong point.
Children, in general, are not out to get you...you use words such as "punish" and "reward" which indicates that you don't really know how to handle students. I don't think you're teaching at an inner city high school as that's on another level...
I would suggest administrative work at a post-secondary educational institution, but you will run into the same roadblocks you do in your current environment.
If you are serious about getting out of this field, pick up computer programming. No, you do not need to go back to school for this. Many programmers are self-taught. Of course, you need a dedicated studying habits and a routine to stick to. I've known several people that might have autistic tendencies that have succeeded very well in this field.
How do I put this delicately?
I doubt that a person who fails to shower and wear clean clothes on a daily basis has the discipline to learn how to code.
I doubt that a person who fails to shower and wear clean clothes on a daily basis has the discipline to learn how to code.
I can't really stick with anything for very long. I've tried learning some coding but nothing near what I need to know to get a job as a programmer or anything. I usually just try to find information on points that I'm curious about, like telling my computer to shut down automatically at a certain time so that if I forget to shut it down, I won't get a warning from my supervisor, because it will complete the process on its own. For the most part, I'm poor at teaching myself, because I tend to be disorganized. It's very difficult for me to stick with anything. I've registered with free code camp, code academy, and various other websites to try to learn coding. If I had the discipline to stick with it, maybe I would get somewhere, but the lack of feedback leaves me bored and frustrated, and I eventually put it down to pick it up when it's more convenient.
No, I don't shower every day; sometimes I take baths because I like the way the warm water feels. No, I also don't wash my clothes every week, because I don't want the colors to fade. Is it the best decision? I don't think so, but it really all goes back to not being organized, and, yes, it is frustrating to me as well, because I like organization, and I like to be able to create processes that work. I take pride in it in fact.
Teaching is in all likelihood not the field for you. I see a lot of posts from you that indicate you cannot deal with the stress and demands of teaching, which I know about as I taught at a public high school for several years without formal teaching experience. Being a teacher requires interpersonal skills and social awareness, which though no fault of your own, is not your strong point.
Children, in general, are not out to get you...you use words such as "punish" and "reward" which indicates that you don't really know how to handle students. I don't think you're teaching at an inner city high school as that's on another level...
I would suggest administrative work at a post-secondary educational institution, but you will run into the same roadblocks you do in your current environment.
If you are serious about getting out of this field, pick up computer programming. No, you do not need to go back to school for this. Many programmers are self-taught. Of course, you need a dedicated studying habits and a routine to stick to. I've known several people that might have autistic tendencies that have succeeded very well in this field.
The problem is I get bored and disinterested when I hit the inevitable road blocks. I've tried taking free programming classes, and I end up either losing interest and finding something else to occupy my time, or I get stuck and am not sure how to complete a project. I really do need to get better at organizing myself and allotting my time. I've signed up for so many courses, but I usually only keep track of the ones that I have to pay for. I agree that you can learn a lot from free sources, but I'm probably not going to stick with something without getting feedback. I just feel like things are going too slowly.
For me, fixing this problem would be as easy as finding a buddy to study with and help keep me motivated, but those things are actually difficult to come by. Surprisingly, a lot of people do not consider sitting and learning new information fun, but that's my idea of a great weekend. A lot of people are good at motivating themselves and keeping themselves focused. Unfortunately, that's not really me. That's one reason I feel like I do so well in the classroom as a student. Studying on my own, I don't get the feedback I feel like I need to continue to be motivated to study, and it's very easy for me to get side-tracked.
Does this mean I'm just going to make excuses and not try to get organized and teach myself when there are so many resources available? I really do intend to at least try: make schedules and lists, allow processes computer programs can handle to be handled by them, and write out a few quick scripts for talking to kids and trying to get them to do what I want to do. For now, that seems to be what I should focus on. If I do lose this job, at least I'll have skills I can transfer to another field.
I really would like to be able to teach myself without forgetting, losing track of time, or letting it take the place of something else important I feel like I should be doing. For some reason though, it just seems easier to focus when I'm actually taking a class and getting feedback from my instructor and peers. I tend to be very poor at pacing myself and usually rush through information too quickly for it to stick. That's a very bad habit for a teacher, and I know I could do a lot more with the resources I have. Now that I'm thinking about it, I might try again, but it just doesn't seem to work for me when I try to study on my own. I'm just not motivated enough to continue. I've started countless projects just to scrap them and decide they weren't worth the time and effort.
To name a few:
Learn Spanish (I took a year of it in college, so I thought it would be easy to pick up where I left off, but it's three years in, and I still only know the basics)
Learn French (I also took a year of this in college, but even though I can read some basic phrases, I'm not anywhere near fluent, and I would be lost in a conversation)
Get Organized:
I bought a planner and started trying to keep a journal, but it eventually got lost in all of the other things I needed to do.
Decorate:
I bought wallpaper and decals and furniture and intended to make this space look and feel truly livable, but nothing ever came of it. The temporary wallpaper didn't stick and neither did the decals, and the furniture just looked out of place. That's another project I was unable to complete.
Learn to Code:
I completed a few lessons on Code Academy, decided it was too slow, so I moved on to Free Code Camp, which actually lets you work as a volunteer programmer once you finish your lessons. I got stuck on a project and didn't know how to move on without flatly asking for the answer, which they aren't allowed to give and wouldn't have benefited me anyway. I stopped logging on and eventually forgot about it.
Get Certified in Math:
I paid for a whole math course over the summer and passed, but I'm still in level 100 courses and will need advanced calculus before I can even think about taking the middle school math Praxis. Yes, in theory there are a multitude of resources to help me study for and pass the Praxis with flying colors, but have I utilized them? No. Do I want to do this? Yes, but even with Khan Academy and all of the other resources, I've found this to require a significant investment of time and money. Surprisingly, even tutors aren't a lot of help if you don't hire the right ones.
Become a Professional Writer:
I should have started on this project in college. As it stands, I only have a few blog posts to show for my desire. I recently tried writing a few fiction short stories; they were terrible. I was summarizing all over the place and not describing scenes well or fleshing out characters. I lost interest. The fiction writing was taking so much of my time I wasn't really getting my other important tasks done.
Make Friends:
This has been something I've pretty much given up on. I talk to people now and then, but I'm worried my lack of organization and strange manner will leave me with enemies instead. I know that I can be a handful, and people my age are usually busy with their own lives anyway. Plus, I don't like investing the time, money, gas, etc. to go to social engagements. The few things I do attend mimic the environment of work / school. Other experiences just make me uncomfortable. It's not like I don't crave them sometimes, but I usually just settle for daydreaming.
It looks like I'm just too disorganized and impatient to really make these things happen for me. I know it sounds like I'm making excuses, but I should have been able to finish all of these things within about two or three years, and I haven't succeeded. I've either lost interest or found something else to use the time for.
I can't really stick with anything for very long. I've tried learning some coding but nothing near what I need to know to get a job as a programmer or anything. I usually just try to find information on points that I'm curious about, like telling my computer to shut down automatically at a certain time so that if I forget to shut it down, I won't get a warning from my supervisor, because it will complete the process on its own. For the most part, I'm poor at teaching myself, because I tend to be disorganized. It's very difficult for me to stick with anything. I've registered with free code camp, code academy, and various other websites to try to learn coding. If I had the discipline to stick with it, maybe I would get somewhere, but the lack of feedback leaves me bored and frustrated, and I eventually put it down to pick it up when it's more convenient.
No, I don't shower every day; sometimes I take baths because I like the way the warm water feels. No, I also don't wash my clothes every week, because I don't want the colors to fade. Is it the best decision? I don't think so, but it really all goes back to not being organized, and, yes, it is frustrating to me as well, because I like organization, and I like to be able to create processes that work. I take pride in it in fact.
I have cheap clothes that last for years. I wash in cold water on delicate and hang dry.
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