End of semester

Because a last-hour change in the schedule of my courses I didn't have enough time to devote myself with some community work. Someone, whom I do not want to remember, change my schedule and I knew it two days before the beginning of the semester. I was very angry at that time, now it is just history. In the light of that situation, I am trying to get rid of this course for the next year. If I keep the course I bet I will be in the same situation, or worst.

It has been a very tough semester. As always this is the hardest time in all the semester. After the final examinations we have visits of students, parents and authorities. It is very stressing to see students cry out because they did not get the grade they needed to pass the course. When the day ends I wander why I feel so tired and maybe the answer is because of the stress.

We have a celebration each year, a "Teacher's day". I missed it last year and I thanked God I missed because the organizers didn't have enough food for all the teachers. It was a very awful situation. From my perspective it was a way to show how important are the teachers for the institution. Some of my colleagues argued that I was overreacting to the situation, but I replied to them that our acts show the respect we have to the others. Thinking that this year we could have the same situation I bring my food, he, he.

A change of perspective

Last two years have been stressful. We had many changes at school, including our principal. It has been difficult to accept "the new way" the things should be done. Almost every morning I wake up thinking on my disagreements on the "new way" of work.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to stop thinking about it and I found a way to do it. Last year I gave tutoring sessions to students of poor communities. It was a refreshing experience. It make me rethink my purpose as a teacher. I think I was lost in the mist of qualifications and courses. As time passes by you start to forget that the most important thing to do as a teacher is to teach. It impressed me that something so simple was so hard to understand.

This semester I'll have two subjects to teach: Algebra and Integral Calculus. Last semester I used presentations in all my classes. It was very useful because it help me to focus, in my mind, all the material and select the appropriate exercises for classwork and homework. I do not have presentations for my Algebra's class so I will have to work on them during the next days.

A little bit about me.

This is my first blog. I have been a math teacher for 15 years. All this time I have been teaching at private schools.
I want to use this blog to share my experiences "class after class". Most of them are related to my students, others are related to my coworkers. I hope some of them help you.