9 weeks tests have arrived

Let me tell you they are beautiful. Small font and crowded pages. They give us a pacing guide and say teach this stuff. Then they change the pacing guide. Then they ask if we taught everything and if we say no, they say too bad fit it in. Then.... they don't test on all the benchmarks, so in theory we could have taught to a greater depth of knowledge and understanding.

At least I can focus my review sessions now. SCORE!!!

I can't lie. I enjoy chaos. It gives everyone an equal opportunity to thrive. The structure is so dysfunctional that it becomes a survival of the fittest. We listen and we don't really listen. We do enough to appease the powers that be, but there are so many loose ends that we hide in the shadows and sneak around corners to ensure that the kids are getting a well rounded education, not just lessons in multiple choice testing. I hadn't thought about the political skills I have been developing by working at the Shelby Middle School. And I say SMS in particular because I have been told we are in a particularly difficult situation. I have an upcoming interview for a summer job. My program director suggested I emphasize my cool collectedness in dealing with a challenging administration. Challenging may be an understatement. It's all good fun, just need to keep your head on straight and your wits about you.

I am visiting Goldman when I get back to NY. The comparisons in managerial effectiveness and efficiency are immense. It’s their third straight year of record profits at Goldman. Average comp per employee was about 600K this year. Granted I may have been earning something over a 100K at this point compared to the thirty I get now, but like a MasterCard commercial this experience is priceless.

I have been smiling as I composed this entire post.