Back to School Again.

Disclaimer: I already tried to update this once, so if I’m a bit short bear with me.

It’s the same cracked walls and cold office, kids cutting me off on the steps and dust in the hallways from construction seeping through the temporary ply board walls that line the back of the school. But everything’s different. Teachers are moving about the room, introducing themselves and helping each other figure out the school’s messaging system. An older homeroom teacher came to the subject room, arms full of office supplies and a chair cushion, looking around for a desk. A vice principal came and led her away.

I have a new co-teacher who is now my ‘monitor.’ Her name is Jenny (or Julie?) and we now teach 9 hours of fifth grade classes together a week.

I came to school this morning with the absurd hope that I would get to teach third and fourth graders with my secondary co-teacher Yong-eun. Mijung (my former fifth grade co teacher) would remain my ‘monitor’ or main co-teacher and things would remain relatively unchanged except for the added perk of only teaching young, perfectly behaved 8-10 yr olds.

In reality, I teach 14hours of third grade and 9 hours of fifth grade a week. I have to establish a new relationship with Jenny not only for classroom and teaching purposes but also for personal reasons. I was just becoming comfortable with Mijung. I knew that she would never question a sick day, I could text her without actually having to call her, the best way to get what I wanted with her was to be open and frank with her and talk about everything. When that didn’t work, I could complain to Yong Eun who would talk to Mijung until Mijung felt guilty and tried to do more. I felt pretty sure that Mijung had my best interests at heart and mainly struggled with the contradictory directions that my needs and the administrations’ demands took. Now, I have no idea who this Jenny person is or how she works. She doesn’t even know the Can Do Kids’ song for Christ’s sake.

All of that would be tolerable if it weren’t for the fact that I have to confront my new co teacher about the number of hours I’m teaching. In our contract is says we teach a total of 22 hours per week. If total number of teaching hours exceeds that number I am due overtime pay. I’m pretty sure my new 23 hour a week schedule isn’t including overtime pay with it. I guess I’ll have to dust off the ole contract and refer to SMOE world.com for what course of action to take.

SMOE world is the closest thing we have to a union. It’s a website consisting of SMOE vets who dole out advice and complaints. You have to have a password. You have to pass inspection to join. It’s pretty serious.

In other news, I’m anxiously awaiting news from graduate schools and my future in the United States. I got accepted to UT law and offered a full tuition scholarship. I also got waitlisted at Vanderbilt for the MFA program there. Out of hundreds of applications they accepted three and waitlisted seven. That puts me in like the top two percent! Even if I don’t get accepted into a program, I at least gained some confidence in myself as a writer. People whose job it is to distinguish between potentially good writing and bad writing think my writing may be worth something…

I’m updating mainly because Will Hale lectured me on the values, both externally and internally, of blog updates. Him and T-rav skyped me not too long ago while drinking at Will’s apartment. I miss you guys terribly. I wish I was there to celebrate the UT victory over KY in basketball with you, eat a Moo Moo Mr. Cow at Moe’s, work for twenty percet tips at Tomo, workout at the T-recs, watch adult swim, sleep with Eli on the futon, and, most of all, take whiskey shots in the kitchen. I love you guys!