Numbers

The numerical values of my job this year:

3 class-preps
Spanning 5 periods
Including 99 students,
of whom 13 are taking an AP English option that is separate from/in addition to regular class.

I feel like I have not done an effective job of balancing and juggling these numbers this year.  This is not to say it's been a bad year by any means--on the contrary, it's been a good year.  I've enjoyed it, and I have tremendously appreciated my students.

This said, I'm more aware than ever of my weaknesses and limitations as a teacher, and feel frustrated by the disconnect between what I know to be best practice and where I'm at now.  My challenge for next year, and something I plan to examine over the summer, is strategizing methods of organization and prioritization.  This is a great teaching schedule, but the numbers and the diversity within those numbers require that I put a lot more planning into logistics than I have up to this point--I must be much more careful and precise in how I plan assignments, when I give assignments, what I do with paperwork, how I manage my time between prep/grading.  All of these things were important before, but take on a much greater significance with a busier schedule.

Fortunately, I think that next year, my schedule will remain exactly the same for the first time in my teaching career.  Here's hoping the continuity will allow me to take root in soil that is fertile for planning, organizing and teaching!