In which I reflect on my first full time week

This has been a week of many thoughts as I've bounded through my first full time affair as Mr. Reni. Some of those thoughts have stuck out a bit more than others. Here I will share them.

My roommate has always been one to live on the more laid back side of life. But recently he's been a very busy boy. Amongst other things, he has a new job, and he likes it. I asked him why and he responded with a quote that I thought to be quite enlightened.

"I go to bed feeling like my day counted." -Sam R.

It's impossible to overstate the importance of that. I think it's why I enjoy teaching so much. My day counts here, and it's hard to quantify that. I work hard, and my work shows up to produce something tangible. Kids learn. Kids DO things because of me. That counts. People expect me to produce something, and I produce it. That counts. It's a good feeling. It's why I love coaching tennis too, it's why I have pursued this profession.

I'm very lucky to have Beckey floating around the classroom with me, because she is a very encouraging and thoughtful conversation partner. She said something to me the other day that stood out as well.

I was trying to figure out why it was that I felt so frazzled, why it was that I felt like I was leaning forward and running into the wind, relying on an unstable force - a combination of luck and momentum - to keep me standing.

"Teaching is one of the only professions that requires someone to make 100 decisions a minute. From the second you show up until the second you leave nearly every thing that you do, or say, and many of the things you don't do or say has to be a concious and informed decision that can change the course of your day." -Beckey C.

This couldn't be more true. My mind basically sounds like this all day long:

"Okay, what's next, am I prepared? I don't know. How much time do I have? 7 minutes. What materials do I need? Not sure? Where do I look? Science kit. Do I need copies? No. Does something need to be on their desk? Yes. Pass it out. Get the kids. Are they too loud in the hall? Should I stand in the front or the back? Paul's making noise, have I pushed him too hard today? Why is he making noise? Is he aware that he is? No. Let it go. Sasha is lagging behind, do i let it slide? No. Do I call out? Yes. Noise volume went up. Address or ignore? Wait on it. Still loud. Shush the crowd. Sasha is still behind. Should I get her? Should I wait? Will the kids be out of control? Positively reinforce good behavior as I wait and kids pass. Success. Should Imake personal conversation with Sasha? What's her mood? Should I scold her for lagging? Little of both. Back to class. How will I quiet them? Turn off lights. How should I begin? Review schedule. Noise. Scold? No. Positive reinforcement. Quiet. ..........................."

And that's when there are no kids nagging me or needing my instruction - a "quiet" part of my day. "Down time."

Yeah, right.

All told, this is so much fun. I'm so proud and happy of my kids, and very pleased at how capable I'm finding myself of making those decisions. Week two will be a thrill. I can't wait.

Also, I'm thinking golf might turn into my new thing. That is all.

-Mr. Reni