Summer Assigned Blog Numero Uno
My biggest challenge as a member of the Teacher Corps was a peripheral though pertinent life issue: becoming a legitimate human being.
But let me take a step back. For as much as I enjoy stressing out about Teacher Corps and spending too much time complicating otherwise oversimplistic coursework, this all falls within my standard operating procedures and comfort zone as a recent college graduate. I didn't mind staying up all night to turn Annie's four page research paper into a semi-academic eleven-pager; in fact, I enjoyed some good company from Elizabeth and Robbie who did the same while chain-smoking all night and pretending that I was still in college. The real problem started last fall when I entered the workplace for the first time besides summer and evening jobs.
Though I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I was fortunate enough that my parents were able to put me through college, with the downside being that I was able to overindulge in all the classic collegiate bad habits: smoking, drinking, eating, etc. How I managed to do so well I have no idea, but nonetheless a nocturnal lifestyle doesn't exactly mesh with the responsibilities of being a teacher. I'm responsible for my students, preparing ahead of time, getting enough sleep, not partying as much anymore, paying bills, etc., and this was not an easy adjustment. In fact, I'm probably still not adjusted quite yet. Waking up at 6:30 every single morning, spending all my energy teaching all day, running errands, grading and preparing every night and finding time to lead a healthier lifestyle by relaxing and focusing on my own studies was all part of a grand experiment at which I initially failed miserably. And then, of course, Teaqcher Corps rears its ugly head in the form of weekend trips to Oxford from Jackson and ridiculous assignments that are neither intellectual, philosophically, or pragmatically relevant to much of anything, and the world falls apart. Oftentimes I turned into a monster, having so much to do that I was caught like a deer in the headlights and spending most of my time stressing rather than alleviating the causes of the stress.
I speak with my friends often about growing up; Notre Dame much more so than other colleges is a sheltered, bubbled universe isolated from the real world. Now all the sudden my parents aren't paying my rent, I have car payments to make, I can't just skip class when I wish, and I can't do anything at the last minute anymore. I'm a real person in the real world, and I was expecting little more from my Teacher Corps experience besides a continuation of the college lifestyle and another degree after a few years. I'm still shocked from time to time when I fall asleep at 8 on a Thursday night. Since when is Thursday not a weekend anymore?
But let me take a step back. For as much as I enjoy stressing out about Teacher Corps and spending too much time complicating otherwise oversimplistic coursework, this all falls within my standard operating procedures and comfort zone as a recent college graduate. I didn't mind staying up all night to turn Annie's four page research paper into a semi-academic eleven-pager; in fact, I enjoyed some good company from Elizabeth and Robbie who did the same while chain-smoking all night and pretending that I was still in college. The real problem started last fall when I entered the workplace for the first time besides summer and evening jobs.
Though I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I was fortunate enough that my parents were able to put me through college, with the downside being that I was able to overindulge in all the classic collegiate bad habits: smoking, drinking, eating, etc. How I managed to do so well I have no idea, but nonetheless a nocturnal lifestyle doesn't exactly mesh with the responsibilities of being a teacher. I'm responsible for my students, preparing ahead of time, getting enough sleep, not partying as much anymore, paying bills, etc., and this was not an easy adjustment. In fact, I'm probably still not adjusted quite yet. Waking up at 6:30 every single morning, spending all my energy teaching all day, running errands, grading and preparing every night and finding time to lead a healthier lifestyle by relaxing and focusing on my own studies was all part of a grand experiment at which I initially failed miserably. And then, of course, Teaqcher Corps rears its ugly head in the form of weekend trips to Oxford from Jackson and ridiculous assignments that are neither intellectual, philosophically, or pragmatically relevant to much of anything, and the world falls apart. Oftentimes I turned into a monster, having so much to do that I was caught like a deer in the headlights and spending most of my time stressing rather than alleviating the causes of the stress.
I speak with my friends often about growing up; Notre Dame much more so than other colleges is a sheltered, bubbled universe isolated from the real world. Now all the sudden my parents aren't paying my rent, I have car payments to make, I can't just skip class when I wish, and I can't do anything at the last minute anymore. I'm a real person in the real world, and I was expecting little more from my Teacher Corps experience besides a continuation of the college lifestyle and another degree after a few years. I'm still shocked from time to time when I fall asleep at 8 on a Thursday night. Since when is Thursday not a weekend anymore?
posted by David Jones | 11:29
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