What I'm up to, roughly as it happens.

this year was a bit strange. learned a lot. it felt like i am back at year0 teaching for the very first time. i have started to forget that feeling of stepping into a class and feeling like stepping into a whole new universe governed by unique laws. it was both good and difficult. here, below, are some of the main things that i learned this year:

• prefacing every session with a video can do wonders to students' attention spans and degree of interest in the lesson.
• staying calm is key.
• the hardest sessions to handle are usually the last sessions of the day (mainly afternoon sessions).
• Bathroom passes for students worked like a charm (mainly with younger students).
• using interactive worksheets save so much time during the correction phase of an activity.
• using the hidden countries game as a warm up works great with both beginers and advanced learners (students loved it).

does experience and time spent in a class dull the emotions?

okay, i admit it. some classes are worth leaving as soon as possible. i hate to say it, but some classes are actually a delight to say goodbye to.

just read something amazing written by a math teacher and it hit close home:

Let me see if I have this right. You want me to go into that room with all those kids, and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning. Not only that, but I am also to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify disruptive behavior, and observe them for signs of abuse.

I am to fight the war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for guns and knives, and raise their self-esteem. I am to teach them patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play; how to balance a checkbook, and how to apply for a job.

I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of potential antisocial behavior, offer advice, write letters of recommendation for student employment and scholarships, encourage respect for the cultural diversity of others, and, oh yes, teach, always making sure that I give the girls in my class 50% of my attention.

I am required by my contract to work on my own time (summers and evenings) and at my own expense toward additional certification and a master's degree, to sponsor the cheerleaders or the sophomore class (my choice); and after school, I am to attend committee and faculty meetings, and participate in staff development training.

I am to be a paragon of virtue, such that my very presence will awe my students into being obedient and respectful of authority. I am to do all of this with just a piece of chalk, a bulletin board, and a few books (some of which I may have to purchase myself). And for doing this, I am to be paid a starting salary that, in some states, qualifies my family for food stamps.

Is that all?

— David Pleacher

last year was tough. come to think of it, the entirety of the last few years was challenging. I think doing a PhD, teaching at different schools, and handling the monotony of life, all at once, comes with a cost. I managed to end the last school year with no major mistakes. let's hope i manage to do the same this year also. i am more motivated this year and i have energy to try new techniques in my class. i will try to make my classes fun once more. i will also try to be more practical and more efficient in my teaching. i have learned a lot and i am ready to put what i have learned to the test.

it hurts. teaching really hurts. i have always given my 100% doing this job. i went far and beyond during every session. i was not perfect but i was always trying to be my best for my students. i made sure not to leave a single student behind. when i had full classes (43+), i printed more colored worksheets. when my students had a bad day/night/life, i made sure to make at least one hour of their day feel good. i gifted. i comforted. and i listened. i did all this and never sought any recognition/rewards. i did it for my students. because i loved my students.

i miss my students.

multiple strikes are going on at the moment all over Morocco. all teacher-related. i am participating this time. as a teacher, i have always believed that we are not paid enough. what we get, what i get, compared to the effort i put into this job is ridiculously unbalanced. i truly believe that we cannot enhance the educational system without increasing the salaries of teachers (who do their job as it is supposed to). nothing will change if the financial situation of the teachers is this miserable. there will be no incentive for the betterment of class practices if the teacher can barely survive the month. of course, there are other issues that need to be addressed as well. but first, give me more money.