Little Fears, Big Fears

For the last three years, I've had a Resident Teacher in my classroom.  The Resident is a student teacher, with the significant advantage of being nearly full-time.  While I have to plan for and train the Residents, it's obviously a bonus: more small-group instruction, another person to laminate things, someone to assist when a first-day Kster tantrums out.  So sometimes I worry that I don't really know how to run a classroom by myself anymore.

On Fridays, the Residents have a seminar and leave in the mid-morning.  The three Friday afternoons have been easy enough, with big craft projects after some math and language practice.  During this last one, I realized that I can still teach by myself.  It was a big relief; eventually, I imagine, the Residency program will end and I'll be on my own with twenty two four and five year olds again.

We had a major and disturbing theft at school this week, and the response from on high as yet has been that perhaps they'll upgrade the alarm/camera system...when the third third of the school bond money starts pouring.  I am so tired of waiting for this money.  Waiting on it is why we don't have functional heating in my wing of the school.  It's why we have lead pipes in the classrooms.  It's why the district is lagging on dealing with the massive mouse issue.  Sure, these things cost money.  But they also make learning and teaching more difficult.  And honestly, I have a hard time believing that the Central Office staff would be left without heat waiting for the money to come through.