My work life has really hit the skids. I was assigned to the school where I'm at at the very start of September, and I'm teaching the subject that I trained in, unlike last year. Fantastic! Except for two major things:
1. The school that I was at last year had a really close, family-type feel. I could talk to any other staff member, at any time, and they would be really accommodating. Quite often, we'd have beers after school and shoot the breeze/vent our frustration. This new school that I'm at is a lot less friendly in that regard--it doesn't make me feel like I'm a part of a community like my old school.
2. My class schedule was switched on me last week--against my will and through no fault of my own. The class that I did have was a Social 10-1, an academic class that had some really good kids and I really enjoyed teaching them. However, I'm now forced to teach a Social 10-4. This is a class that is filled with kids that have severe cognitive, behavior, emotional or physical disabilities, and they have low ambition and work ethic as well. I've never taught kids this low-achieving, and I'm really not sure what I'm getting into. All I know is bits and pieces of advice I've gotten from other teachers, and what happened to their old teacher: That the old teacher made several severe mistakes in the way that she taught the class, that one of the students pushed her into a row of lockers, and that she hasn't shown up since the incident.
Second, I had to move to Calgary for this job. At the time I made the choice, it was the right thing to do, and I do enjoy my job, but there has been a major drawback: because I've never lived in Calgary, I know very few people here, and those people that I do know, it's been tough to reconnect with them, because I've been so busy with work. My evenings are filled with marking and lesson planning, and most weekends I'm going up to Edmonton to see my girlfriend, which brings me to point number 3...
My love life has been great. I've had my girlfriend for over a year and a half now (actually, we met not to long after I last updated this blog) but things haven't been perfect. Since I could only get a job in Calgary and she lives in Edmonton, we've been forced to do the long distance thing for about a year. We see each other every second weekend or so, and I'm thankful that I get some longer vacations that I spend with her, but it's still really tough. In addition to this (and the reason that I'm writing this blog) is that we do have some things that really make us different--namely, her struggles with anxiety and depression. She's had that since she was in her late teens (she's 31 now) and she tried to repress it for most of her twenties. A couple of years ago she decided to take charge and try to overcome her mental issues. However, it's been tougher than she expected, even with medication and a psychiatrist. She's been having problems feeling connected to me emotionally. She's also having commitment issues because she's never had a long term relationship before, so she's not sure if she's having some normal commitment issues, if she's not ready for commitment in general, or if she's not ready for commitment with me.
td;dr version:
Life's tough.
My work life has really hit the skids. I was assigned to the school where I'm at at the very start of September, and I'm teaching the subject that I trained in. Fantastic! Except for two major things:
My love life has been great. I've had my girlfriend for over a year and a half now (actually, we met not to long after I last updated this blog) but things haven't been perfect. Since I could only get a job in Calgary and she lives in Edmonton, we've been forced to do the long distance thing for about a year. We see each other every second weekend or so, and I'm thankful that I get some longer vacations that I spend with her, but it's still really tough. In addition to this (and the reason that I'm writing this blog) is that we do have some things that really make us different--namely, her struggles with anxiety and depression. She's had that since she was in her late teens (she's 31 now) and she tried to repress it for most of her twenties. A couple of years ago she decided to take charge and
-Read for pleasure, not just for school. And read real books, not just Car and Driver.
-Become more organized.
-Get a hired by an Edmonton or Edmonton-area school board for some than a sub contract.
-Get a girlfriend.
-Get more active--bike more, maybe pick up snowboarding.
-Start saving money
-Lose 10 pounds
-Relax more often and not let little problems get to me as easily.
First one: Check. I've been able to read a few more books, although not as many as I'd like, to be honest. I'd really like to get started on Guns, Germs, and Steel
Second: Not check. I should refine that to start off with "stop piling things on top of each other and forgetting about it"
Third: Sort of check. I did get a full-time contract, however, it was with a school board in Calgary, teaching Science and Social Studies. It's a great school, with good kids and an awesome staff. No complaints there!
Fourth: Most definite check. We've been dating since February, and it's pretty awesome. The only problem? She lives in Edmonton, and I live in Calgary. I'm not a huge fan of long-distance relationships. So far it's been working well, but I would really like a job in/around Edmonton so that I can move back and be closer to her.
Fifth:*Looks at flabby stomach* Eh, maybe next year.
Sixth: Kinda check. I'm sorting myself out financially, but most of my money have been going towards paying down debts instead of saving. A pity, really.
Seventh: See #5
Eighth: Well, this one has been semi-successful. I've been able to roll with the punches. Unfortunately, my job has been throwing me a lot of punches, and it doesn't leave me time to relax!
2009 was pretty good for me, so let hope that 2010 is just as good!
Convocation is on Monday--I can't wait!
I'll try and have a more coherent update soon--I should be packing right now.
I'm not going to lie, I feel pretty fucking good right about now.
I've gotten more amusement out of this video than any one person should. Hope you enjoy.
Some goals for 2009:
-Read for pleasure, not just for school. And read real books, not just Car and Driver.
-Become more organized.
-Get a hired by an Edmonton or Edmonton-area school board for some than a sub contract.
-Get a girlfriend.
-Get more active--bike more, maybe pick up snowboarding.
-Start saving money
-Lose 10 pounds
-Relax more often and not let little problems get to me as easily.
Good luck in 2009!
So naturally, I'm updating my blog.
-I've got a ton of shit that needs to be done--unit plans, lesson plans, personal reflections, professional journals, etc. AHHH!!
-Canadian election is happening today. As it stands right now, it's another minority Conservative government, and my MP is also Conservative. Overall, I'm happy with the job that they have been doing, but I'd really like a stronger voice from the left to keep them in check.
-Hockey season has started. Yay!
-I really need to come up with a really good Hallowe'en costume.
-I had a great Thanksgiving, and got to visit with my family more than the typical 20 minutes a week on the phone. That's what I love about Thanksgiving--it's got all of the food and socialization of Christmas, but with 95% less stress.
-I drank FAR too much on my birthday weekend...
-I've never spent as much on clothes as I did last weekend--$700 total, and I could still use a new jacket and another pair of shoes. That amount is shocking for someone as...economically minded...as myself. It WAS kinda fun, though...
And that's about it. Until next time,
-Spiffy
School is going great. I'm almost half-way finished this semester, and I'll be starting my teaching practicum in about a month's time. All I know right now is that I'll be teaching at a Catholic high school here in the city--which doesn't narrow it down as much as I'd like...
But other than that, things are going great. I'm only working once a week during school this semester, which is nice. I've got some good roommates this year, which is awesome. The only bad thing I can think of was there was a mistake on my loan form, so I still have to wait for that to be cleared up. Yay, more debt...
-Spiffy
Where the hell did summer go to?!? I was really getting used to having some extra money floating around...
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31