I am a per session whore.

I would probably do best not to overwhelm myself in only my second year, however as my husband's pay has been seriously cut and we're struggling to make ends meet, I have happily stockpiled as many per session positions as I could get my hands on.

My extra duties go something like this every 2 weeks:

Extra math class I picked up: 4 hours
Running detention: 6 hours +
Data specialist: 4 hours
Coordinator of education plans: 1 hour

This leaves me with approximately $630 extra every 2 weeks.

Today I pitched an idea to my AP for an extra hour every week to work in a small group with the ESL students who miss a lot of my class due to mandated ESL work and he went for it. He liked it so much that he's asking one of the science teachers to do the same. I just have to find the time for it.

So now I'm going to be getting over $1400 per session a month. I'm such a whore.

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I started a project the day before break last week and have been continuing it this week. I forgot how much projects are a win-win situation! The kids enjoy doing them, while I don't need to make lesson plans or worry about teaching as they work together practically the entire period.

I'm ever so slightly ahead of last year's pace and I did TONS of projects and chart paper lessons and presentations, so I should be just fine relaxing slightly until the end of April and work on making my class more enjoyable.

need to rethink things

i realize i'm not differentiating enough.

and i've been way too boring.

i need to take next week to relax, think, and come up with new ways to help my kids learn.

making the most of advisory

They still haven't hired a new history teacher so I have my advisory in the meantime.

I actually came up with a pretty decent 2 week project to tide us over until the break, after which, I hope to have the class relieved from me.

I have the kids making their very first resumes and they actually really enjoy it. I've been alternating days in the classroom with days in the computer lab. When they're on the computers, I let them play music and surf the web as long as they complete the assignment and hand in a printed document by the end of the hour. They're great at multitasking on the computer-- and trust me, I get it. I do the same thing myself all night long.

They have enjoyed the peer editing as well. Tomorrow they'll print out a final version and Wednesday I think we'll do mock job interviews. Thursday, if I know for sure that a new teacher is coming to take over my class, I'll throw them a little "going away" party.

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I have officially been chosen for the per session after school dean position. This is from 4-8 per session hours every 2 weeks.

I'm already making 9 per session hours each pay period so this will be a nice addition.

advisory is almost gone!!!

the dean position is still not posted. and apparently i'm not the only person gunning for it.

however, my AP told me yesterday that him and the principal decided that since I have been given so much responsibility since my colleague left (running PD, meetings, basically at the beck and call of my principal) they agree that it's only fair to take my advisory away from me to free up some of my time.

and when the time comes that dean is posted, it'll be easier to take the position as i'm only teaching 4 periods a day.

so in the meantime i'm just waiting for them to hire a new teacher to take over my old colleague's classes. because of the freeze, they have to interview all the ATR's in addition to traditional candidates before they are allowed to make a decision so it's taking a while. but i can't wait for the new teacher because i'm in the mood to meet someone new and this person will be picking up my dreaded advisory class!!!

while i'm waiting, i'm hanging around the AP trying to learn the ropes. today i played with the building security cameras for the first time and caught a kid graffiti-ing up a table in our main hallway. exciting because he just happens to be someone my AP is trying to get rid and here the kid earned himself a suspension.

my AP was so excited that we nabbed, he actually high fived me when he saw the camera footage.

omg i'm such a suck up. but really i'm desperate for money right now so i'm mostly gunning for per session hours.