All Great Things must come to an end

Well guys we did it! We made it through the first full week back from a couple of non-full weeks and we SURVIVED! It was so funny to see some of the students practically dragging this morning! (they were just as tired as we were!)

The month has flown by; I hope that you have had several "good" days and that the stress of the holidays will not become to overwhelming. Some times just taking it one step or one day at a time is all we can do, but as long as we "keep moving forward" it'll be okay! :-) May you have a blessed and safe holiday season.

Blog posted by November writer Charlene Broadway, middle school music teacher in Johnston County.

Parent-Teacher relations

You'll find that you have some parents that are friendly and even kilter, and well others not quite so personable. This could go either way and the mention of "Parent conferences" could strike terror in the heart of any new teacher (or seasoned ones too)!
I wish that there could be more preparation of dealing with parents. I realize that it would be something hard to deal with at the collegiate level ( I only had one professor ever discuss and prepare us for parent conferences, and that was in a special education class). Maybe mentors could get together during mentor/mentee meetings and do some role playing of difficult and non difficult parents to help new teachers in this area. This could also be a great refresher for seasoned teachers alike!

Blog posted by November writer Charlene Broadway, middle school music teacher in Johnston County.

Is it really all about me?

This time of the year always seems to be a whirlwind. The kids are getting excited about the upcoming holidays (and sometimes a little too excited!!) Stress levels also begin to rise around the holidays. I must admit, I was looking forward to Thanksgiving break and having time "off". Even though I did not have to go into work per se and have to deal with children in the classroom setting, I still found myself working over the break - researching material for lessons, typing up presentation slides for my lecture(s), etc.

I realize that I am a workaholic, however I wish that I could make more time for myself (especially get back into a routine of going to my fitness center). I often pull ten-eleven hour days and have a few meetings after school that I attend in regards to my profession. And in a week or so, I'll have another after school obligation with a weekly after school show choir. Not that I am complaining, I just wish I could find a better balance of having a personal life vs. professional life. However, I have found that this year has been easier and with each passing year I will become a more "seasoned" teacher and hopefully have more "me-time" versus being "married" to my career.

Blog posted by November writer Charlene Broadway, middle school music teacher in Johnston County.