The End of the Beginning

Summer school at Holly Springs is over, leaving me wondering just where, exactly, the last month and a half have gone. It seems like just yesterday we were all sitting in Ed building fresh from our previous pursuits, thumbing through our binders and wondering how we would manage all this. Somehow, we survived, and are now released to the real test- a whole year to be our crazy selves in our own classroom.

A few thoughts on the July summer school:

1. It was SO much more effective! Granted our English II class was significantly smaller this time around (7 versus 21 students in June), but our content was arranged more logically and the students knew what to expect from us each period. Review (definitely a good idea for the fall), Literature, Essay Writing, and the ever-popular fourth period Grammar: it gave a needed structure to the day. I need to find a way to replicate that success in the fall.

2. I actually like the 90 minute block period. There is enough time to get in a full short story and discussion, review the previous day's lessons, and really make sure the students demonstrate their knowledge of the material. It does necessitate careful planning, however, and I am wondering how I will handle this with the more cut and dry, less-room-for-discussion lessons on Latin grammar and inflection.

3. I've really grown as a teacher. Being evaluated all the time has made me aware of what I do well and also where and how I can improve. It's also been a privilege to be exposed to different teaching styles and personalities.
While I do feel that we have been inundated with loads of advice, I no longer feel the need to synthesize everything into my own method. The 'glean what you can, recycle the rest' method is working well for me, at least for now. And I can also now escape a headlock and break a board with my bare hand!

4. The people are great. The kids, everyone in MTC, the team teachers and support staff- they have made the training experience so encouraging and overwhelmingly positive. I just hope I wasn't too spoiled in this regard when I'm thrown into a new situation in two weeks.

That's it for the summer school reflection. In two weeks, I'll hopefully be organized and settled into my new life in Jackson, teaching the Latin scholars of tomorrow that veritable refrain, amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant...