the burn

December 12th marks the beginning of the sixth month in my teaching contract at Poly. I still am enjoying my time at Poly, and think it is a great school. Yet, I have been experiencing unpleasant moments, but nothing near the time spent at the previous school.

Last week, I mentioned to another teacher that the work environment has become less jovial and more cynical. Teachers are complaining more about the workload and about students than they are about talking about effective ways of managing the work and troublesome students. When I first arrived, the environment was incredibly positive. My first impression of the teachers was that everyone was responsible for his/her share of the work and was willing to share supplements and ideas about to teach the daily material. I admit, sharing continues among the teachers but not to the degree when I first arrived.

I suspect everyone is looking forward to the one-week break that approaching. My hope is that everyone will feel refreshed after the break. I hope I do; my plan is to travel to Los Angeles and spend the New Year's with Matt, and possibly Brian and Tim.