One thing is for sure this year. I have far less time to write. This is because my day job (teacher) takes up so much more time than it ever has before. There is far more paperwork involved than any of my previous 17 years. I have been working through my lunch each day, but I still need to spend time at home planning, grading, writing Student Intervention Plans, and calling parents. It’s enough to make me glad that retirement is only a few years away.
I’ve changed the banner of City of Amathar Blog. For the past two a half years it has said “The Official Blog of School Teacher / Novelist Wesley Allison.” I have changed it to “The Official Blog of Author Wesley Allison.” This is not because I’ve given up being a teacher. I haven’t. Nor is it because I’m not still proud to be a teacher. I am. But I’ve decided I can’t blog about being a teacher. I just don’t have it in me. I can’t shout into the wind anymore. Teachers have gone from being underappreciated to being the scapegoats and whipping boys of politicians, pundits, and commentators who don’t have a clue. I’ll continue to do my best, for more, with less. But after I get home from work, I’m not going to carry it with me anymore. From now on, when I get home I’m no longer Mr. Allison. I’m just Wesley Allison.
Okay. Made it through another year. Only exam days left. I feel like I’ve been run through a ringer.
Alright, maybe it’s not so bad after all. I can get back on my blog. I’m still waiting for a raise though, or maybe a few less students in my tiny classroom…. Maybe one of these guys can help.
I’m changing my masthead a bit, specifically the subtitle of the City of Amathar Blog. If you noticed before, it was “The Daily Adventures of a Teacher and Would-be Novelist”. Well, I’m going to a more positive place and changing it to “The Daily Adventures of a Teacher / Novelist”. After all, I’ve written four novels (soon to be five). I could call it “The Daily Adventures of a Teacher and Would Be, Could Be, Maybe Published Author”, but that’s a bit verbose, eh?”
This is turning out to be one crappy morning! First I can’t find my USB drive. Not only does it have the first four chapters of “Knights of Amathar” and the latest edit of “His Robot Girlfriend”, it has files I need for school. And now I get to school and there is no diet Pepsi in the machine. How am I supposed to teach without diet Pepsi! And what’s worse? The machine doesn’t let you know it’s out until you put your dollar in, and then it won’t give your dollar back. The only thing I drink besides diet Pepsi in the machine is water. I can get water for free! Arrrgh!
It’s the end of the first quarter. Grade time! I used to feel better about summing up the final grades for a period. I think that fifteen years ago, when I started, grades more accurately reflected what the students were learning. Today though, many students just don’t care what grade they get. Testing, as I’ve said before, doesn’t offer any better assessment. Students care even less about passing standardized tests than they do about passing classes. If you want students to be really motivated, stop assigning ratings to the schools. Assign them to the parents. Give the parents who have students who pass standardized tests a five hundred dollar tax break, then see how many students will be motivated. See how many schools are “failing” then!
City of Amathar 