It's been a bit of a weird week. I started out with all sorts of feelings about what's going on in the world, found out I will be co-teaching next year, went to a meeting that was very disappointing, fell behind on some writing I'm trying to finish, saw a really interesting puzzle on Twitter, then got together with some friends online last night to talk and play games.
I've already written about how Monday was going, so let's start with the co-teaching. While I've met my co-teacher before, I don't know them very well, so we're going to need some time to get used to each other. I've co-presented at workshops, conferences, and PD sessions lots of times, but having someone with me in the classroom on a daily basis is going to be a bit different. I'm not sure how well I play with others over the long term. Also, I really hope we have a common planning period. That doesn't always happen between co-teachers, and it's going to be be important, for me at least, as I get used to co-teaching. (I've had aides in my classes before, but this is not the same.) Planning together will also mean that my planning time will be less flexible, and going back to the bell-scheduled day is going to be a big change from what I am currently doing. On the other hand, working closely with someone on a daily basis is a great opportunity to learn from them -- about teaching, about the students we share, and about each other.
I'll skip over the disappointing meeting. It's enough to say that there were lots of missed opportunities for learning, exploration, and collaboration. As I think about it, I should probably let the meeting organizer know that an exit ticket with some critical remarks came from me. I dislike providing difficult feedback without taking responsibility for it; I don't think negative feedback without the chance to follow-up is very helpful, and I don't like when it happens to me.
Most of the rest of the week felt unproductive. My lack of focus on Monday carried through, and I was unable to finish some writing projects whose deadlines are coming up. I'll have to push a little bit more this coming week. I'm not disappointed or angry with myself about the delay, and I'm trying hard not to say "I should have done more" because it was probably important for me to process what I was thinking and feeling about current events.
Finally, I met up online with some friends from the Chicago area whom I have not talked to in several weeks. We had scheduled a D&D game, but spent the first 90 minutes catching up, and just enjoying each other's company. We commiserated about current events, celebrated the end of the school year, and shared our hopes for the coming year. The result is that I'm feeling more positive about the work I am doing, better able to cope with the ridiculousness in the world, and ready to meet the coming week.
The advice to "Check in with each other" is a really good thing, and just as good for the checker as the checkee.
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