Mrs. Murdock

After 4 LLLLL OOOOOO NNNN GGGGG weeks of training this summer, I officially began my teaching career on August 19, 2009. What follows is a run-down of my new job. If you have questions, raise your hand WITH YOUR MOUTH CLOSED and wait on me to call on you...

I teach 7th grade Family and Consumer Science. It's like a basic Home-Ec class. I go from home to Redfield Jr. High for first period (LOVE this school, LOVE it), travel during second period, and teach 3-7 period at White Hall Jr. High. I teach the same subject all day, so I really only have to make one set of lesson plans. However, all of my classes are not the same. My 5th period class is all girls and one boy----fun. My 6th period class is straight from down under, and I don't mean Austrailia. My 7th period class is tied for my favorite with 1st period.

I have to brag for just a minute. I happen to have the coolest classroom on my hallway....Actually, probably in the whole school. And most of it isn't even my doing. Because of a great grant that someone who came before me, my classroom is full of great stuff. I have a desktop AND a laptop (this is unheard of anywhere else), I have a portable kitchen, 3 student computers (also unheard of), an overhead projector, LCD projector, a Smart Board, and an Elmo!!! I'll post pictures and more info on those things tomorrow.

For now, here are a couple of lists... because, you know, teachers love lists...

Things that surprised me about teaching:

• It physically pains me to go to the copy machine...I can just see the trees being cut down as I duplicate. I've started making class sets of EVERYTHING and laminating them.
• Kids can make or break your day. I didn't think I'd care what they thought about me or the class, but I love hearing them say "Mrs. Murdock is my favorite teacher" in the hallway.
• Every class requires a different temperature. I have ceiling fans in my room, and they constantly go on and off with the AC...3rd period is cold and 6th is hot

Things that are HARDER than I expected:

• Standing on my feet all day (in heels most days)
• my voice---It is so hard to talk for 7 hours...I have to drink water constantly
• eating lunch in 15 minutes
• going to the bathroom between classes
• the sheer amount of homework that I have to do...grading papers, tests, ect.

Things that are BETTER than I expected:

• I love all of the kids, even the "bad" ones...Seriously, I could hug them all daily
• the amount of control I have...I went from being completely controlled at my old job to being the one in control in this one.
• Being one of the people that shapes these young adults before the world gets a hold of them---they are so innocent right now. I want to grab their attention before they turn 13 and essentially into pumpkins.

Thinks I do that I NEVER thought I'd do:

• Preview Sex Ed tapes at home while cooking dinner. You never know about those things...
• Hand out a 500 word "theme" or paper on why writing "I'm Gay" on a sleeping student's arm is wrong.
• Lie and tell my class that the library heard how bad they were in 6th period, so they are banned from checking out books

I promise pictures to come soon. For now, I'm off to plan my lesson on physical development...