Feeling: exhilirated
Listening to: Garbage - Metal Heart
Reading/Watching: Episodes of every show I missed for the past 2 weeks

Used this week to get organized and turn things around. This was, of course, with the help of my handy-dandy "assistant teacher" (a.k.a. the substitute they called in for the week to back me up and basically be an extra pair of hands).

I organized the music folders by class period. I input all my grades to date. I photocopied new music and loads of music worksheets. I taught the choir things. I conducted singing with my arms, and not with my head while banging out a melody on the piano. I made jokes, and I laughed, and many of my hard-core I Hate You and I Hope You Die students switched attitudes and started being interested in choir. We sang on-key. In harmony. With proper vowels. I almost exploded from the joy, especially once some of my hardest cases began to give me grudging smiles.

I actually taught this week. Even if it was with the backup of another teacher to write up the discipline slips and take attendance during warm-up. Hopefully I won't need help next week, because more and more of the kids are accepting the fact that I am the teacher, I am here to stay, and I do have the authority.

Meanwhile, I have a week off for Thanksgiving. I intend to spend it catching up on my reading and do 95% of the work for my final paper in my grad class.

But excuse me if I use the first weekend of it to ::plop::...

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