School started for students on Monday. Although I’d been in the school for two weeks prior for meetings and planning and preparation, the building always seems different on the first day. A school isn’t really a school until the students arrive.
The first week ended Thursday. One of the first things I have to get used to here is going to school Sunday through Thursday. Friday is the holy day, so the weekend is Friday/Saturday. I have not yet fully adapted to this schedule. When I woke up this morning, I was sure it was Sunday. Nope. I realized about 10 o’clock that it’s Saturday. It will take time to figure this out.
Another thing I need to figure to is the school schedule. The good news is I only ended up in the wrong place once this week. The bad news is the wrong place was the lunchroom and I didn’t remember I did not have lunchroom supervision that day until after I’d completed the shift. Oops! We have a 6-day rotating block schedule. I’ve been able to remember which classes I have on the odd days vs the even days. However, knowing which class I have which hour on those days is much more difficult. In theory, I think the rotating schedule makes sense. In practice, I think it’s very confusing. Hopefully, I’ll have it mastered by the end of the month, though.
Of all the differences between my previous school and this one, the most striking is class size. I’m used to having classes of around 30 students. I’ve had as many as 36 in a section of Physics in the past. I’ve usually had a “student load” of 140-160 students. Things are very different here.
My student load is 37.
Total.
Including all of my classes.
Yes… thirty seven!
I have 12 girls in one Physics 10 section. I have 8 boys in another Physics 10 section. There are 4 students in my IB Physics 12 and 2 in my IB Physics 11. Truthfully, I only teach 26 students. The remainder of my courses are a study hall (with 1 senior) and an hour supervising 10 9th grade girls as they work on online course work. Then remember, those courses are divided over 2 days. The highest number of students I see on any given day is 23! I almost feel guilty having so few students…almost.
With such a small number of students, I will have more time to focus on planning and preparation during the week. I’m hoping to avoid spending my Sundays doing school work like I’ve had to in the past. Wait…I mean my Saturdays.
Ugh.
The New Griswolds 
I would love the smaller class size. I see roughly 110 on any given day.
LikeLike
You know I would Never-Ever be in the right place at the right time!!! What a confusing schedule! The students you have are going to really benefit by your attention and focus. Enjoy every minute of it. Question: what is DP Physics?
LikeLike
DP means Diploma Programme. It is part of the International Baccalaureate continuum (Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme, DP). There is a diploma students can earn by taking a full load of higher level classes, doing community service, completing a capstone project, etc. With the Diploma, students could earn college credit for their HS courses or have access to more prestigious universities.
LikeLike