Back on the Chain Gang
You know I love teaching, but the transition from the lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer to the wired, tired, (OK, I can't think of a third word) life of a Schoolsville prof has me wiped out (yeah, like the surfer thing) on Day One, that's In-service Day One. I haven't even SEEN a student yet.Hence the metaphor of the title, also a great song by Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders. Yeah, I know, I'm mixing metaphors, too. Give me some time to get back into the swing of things, will ya?
By the way, I'm teaching sophs again this year, no seniors. Reading and grading all of those papers, as creative as they were, felt at times as if I really were on a chain . . . oh, you get the point. I love American lit and I'm looking forward to a more sophomoric point of view from my students. Frankly, some of you gave me T.M.I.
So how you doin' as the newbie college student? Feelin' like it's like starting high school all over again? Nah, it's not THAT bad. Are you getting along with your roommate? Making new friends? Burning up the phone lines with the 'rents or the significant other?
I figured I'd post something to see if you were really serious about checking back with Schoolsville. I'm still going to be here, I think, though in a limited capacity. So feel free to respond so we can stay in touch. Until then, I'll start singing to pass the time (ear muff warning):
"I found a picture of you, oh oh oh oh
Those were the happiest days of my life
Like a break in the battle was your part, oh oh oh oh
In the wretched life of a lonely heart
Now we're back on the train
Oh, back on the chain gang"
posted by JTF @ 7:17 PM
21 comments
21 Comments:
Good hearing from You Fio. I'm gonna miss all those fun English classes. Now its down to business in college! Ahhh. Well i will definitely come check out schoolsville again. have a great year and don't let those soph's get you down keep tellin yourself your J-Fiddy flyest guy around!!
I heard the glorious news that you posted a new blog from the lovely Sarah Dalton; however, I did not know that it was sort of dedicated to us. :)
Mr Fio! College is like high school again, I have 8 am classes every day.. 3 of which are English 101! ah I had to write a paper today about my favorite book, it was horrible I was frazzled and didn't know where to begin! Luckily it won't be graded and is only to see our writing skill, but I let my prof know that I am capable of much better. I will definately be reading this alll of the time, I miss St. Marks alreadyyyy!! Good luck with your sophomores, that was one of my most favorite years.
Hurricane Fan and Espangg,
You two hang in there and don't stress out. Come to Schoolsville to relax. I'll do the quarter trick and find you some good vids, like the juggling one. (Have you seen the guitarist on youtube play to Pachabel's Canon? Search for Canon Rock). I'm going to try to keep this thing going with the sophs. I think they'll be up to it. If nothing else, I'll get to keep in touch with you. Spread the word that Schoolsville is back so I'm not left here alone "quizzing the air and lecturing the chandelier." CYA.
Fio, that guitar guy was pretty amazing. I love that song. You gotta check out Fun with Treadmills its crazy cool!
Lady Bow Tie,
Since you told me about this, I have seen it twice already on TV.Crazy cool!
The first thing we're learning in English 110 is not what it means, but how it means.
I wrote my thanks to you in the margins.
TMonaco.
TMonaco,
What it means cannot be separated from how it means. The artistic process is a performance that makes the ordinary seem extraordinary, creates "imaginary gardens with real toads in them"(Marianne Moore). You knew this all along. The poet John Ciardi (and I guess, myself) supported your suspicions with his book, How Does a Poem Mean? I'm proud to be his messenger--prouder to be in your margins. Thanks.
FIO!!! I'm glad that you're still doing schoolsville. I miss your english class so much...Luckily I'm not taking English my first semester because it would be overwhelming but I wish somehow you could teach us in college. Anyway, S. Diddy will definately be visiting soon and we will be sure to make another drawing of J-Fiddy on the white board :)
I do believe ash meant to say that we both will be visiting. Cause that would be weird if she told you I was visiting...
fio! you just signed off line i was going to IM you. i've been looking forward to your blog all summer! you have to teach at UD. no, really, come on over here. the kids would love you. but sophmores? wow that's a change. they'll love you too. english is pretty cool so far. our group assignment is: watching a harry potter movie, finding an interesting character, then walking around campus to find interesting places that they would like, and write why. soo... so far so good. i hope the school year is off to a good start for you as well, and please keep posting!!!
-Kelly Muldoon
sparkellyism,
Thanks for checking in! I'm missing your spark and some of the other bright lights of the class of 06, and of course, teaching creative writing. But these sophs have impressed me so much so far. I think I'm going to take a less traditional, more creative approach with them until they prove they can't handle it. Check back once in a while, if for no other reason, to make me continue writing this thing. I think I might plan a big party when I reach Entry #100.
Ash Fo and S-Diddy,
The white board is cleaned and ready.
i'll bring the strobe light to the party!
Whiped out before even seeing a student? It sounds a bit like Band Camp, only the other way around(Whiped before seeing a teacher). After seven hours in the hot sun(not counting lunch) I was whiped. On Monday. I had to do the same thing until Friday, then start all over again on Monday. Forutnately we only had band camp from two to five... Although it was tough and we did a lot of work, Band Camp was like a transition from summer(vacations, rotting my brain all day, doing absolutely nothing all day.) to running around and spinning a flag from nine to five in the hot sun. Every time I heard my guard coach say "Again!" I felt like screaming and beating myself in the head with my flag. Fortunately, I didn't. I learned a lot from Band Camp, though, and didn't have as hard of a time getting up for shcool on Wednesday, though. I knew some more people than before since I had met a few of the new Freshman who were in Color Guard, I wasn't as tired as I usually was for school and I had fun. Actually, I have fun every day at Saint Marks, but that's not the point. It felt good to come from the prison that was Band Camp into school where I wasn't in the sun. By the way, I also perfected my ability to complain during Band Camp. Yay me.
AZGreen
AZ,
I saw the band going through its paces in the heat and on the burned-out field and thought to myself,"That doesn't look like a lot of fun." However,it sounds as if you lived to tell of and even gained from your experience. Nice, clever, comparison to my own days working on the chain gang, too. Careful with that flag.
Baby,
I'd become a willing (that's too strong a word) Nova rooter if someone I know up there would get me tix for the b-ball games. Keep in touch. Off to real school in a few minutes.
Going back to school is never fun, but like Moonyasha up there, my transition was an easier one due to the hectic week-and-a-half of eight hours a day band camp. We had to work really hard to learn the show by the end of band camp but it was a lot of fun and still better than school. I culd have done without the heat, though. It was suprisingly hot that week and that didn't help at all. We were drilled until our hands fell off from spinning the flag but we became closer as a color guard and actually learned the show, which was a good thing with the football and marching season starting almost simultaneously with school. I got through it, though and it made it easier waking up on Wednesday. The only problem was waking up on Monday for band camp. A good thing was that there was no thinking involved, which was definitely a bonus.
I think the thought of school left my mind as soon as i left school on the last day of freshman year. I kept pushing te idea that school was coming to the back of my head Going back to school this year was pretty difficult for me. After a whole three months of vaction, being lazy and doin nothing, school wasnt the first thing on my mind. I sort of procrastinated with my sumer reading and preparing for school. It didnt hit that school was so close until my first x-country practice for the year. After seeing all my friends and standind in front of the school, i was caught off guard. I had about 10 days to finish both my summer reading books and i had no idea how i was going to accomplish that.
Hey, Fio I just wanted to say I know how you feel going from the "lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer" to having to go back to school again. For me though it wasn't so much of a change from summer to school but from public school to catholic school. It was a lot different then what I was used to. But don't get me wrong I mean Im in my second year of St. Marks and Im lovin' it. But also my summer transition wasn't all that bad because my mom and dad made me go to bed earlier and had me reading over my text book to prepare for school.
Ugh! Just the sound of school makes me cringe. It seems like just yesterday I was finishig my last final and going home (finally) for the summer. Now here I am, almost one whole marking period into school, and it already is dragging on. I know exactly how you feel, about coming to school and not seeing a single soul. However, I hadn't seen a single TEACHER yet. I guess, in a way, it was a good thing. I was here all summer conditioning for football. In the beginning, there was nobody. I wouldn't have been surprised to see tumbleweeds because it was so dead. I was so lax about doing any work that I pushed back doing my summer reading until August ( That probably wasn't something that I should tell my ENGLISH teacher, but o well). Football took up a chunk of my summer. My weekly schedule would be Monday: Football 4-6 Tuesday: Lay around Wednesday: Football 4-6 Thursday: Mow the lawn Friday: Football 4-6 Aaarrgghhh I'm sure you could imagine my stress level. Well, school's back in session now, guess there's nothing I can do about it.
Back to school is just a crazy for all your students as well. Most of us are still trying to finish up our summer reading, that we foolishly decieded to hold off to the last weeks off summer. Students again have to get used to the fact that 11:00am isn't a good time to wake up anymore. Also all the new teachers and getting used to a whole different ssets of rules might take us a while.At the same time I think after a few weeks of seeing everyone and remembering all the fun events we love about school we will all be fine. For example teaching sophs this year will a exciting for you as well the students. Students too look forward to certain things. I am looking forward to soccer season since i have worked so hard over the summer for it. All in all It will take the most of us to get use to it but after a few weeks we will be glad we are back.
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