Posted 9:04 PM by Ben
A month without updating my blog. If Evan or Rachel or Rich or Will ever did that, I'd resent them because I enjoy reading their journals so much, even knowing that they don't owe me any entertainment.

My excuse is that I've been busy and tired. Wonder of wonders, I got the teaching job -- I've been teaching 11th grade English at Eastside High School in Gainesville. It's not exactly inner-city but most of my students are African-American kids from the poorer sections of Gainesville.

It's been a mixed experience. All of the teachers and administrators and custodians have been nice to me. The school is a comfortable half-hour drive away, during which I mentally relax and listen to Captain Rick's Morning Cruise on Fun 102.7.

My students are fun to interact with, and while I don't feel that I've challenged them yet, I think we're done some provocative and creative activities in class.

But man, they wear on me. After the honeymoon period of the first few days, a few of them started heckling me every day and some haven't stopped yet. They know I'm new, and they're pushing me as far as they can.

I've written about forty referrals, and they have only come after a) multiple incidents of talking or b) single incidents of cursing me out, threatening me, or skipping my lunch detentions. Forty. I don't even know if they had referrals at the high school I went to.

It's frustrating. Even the nice ones won't. stop. talking. for. anything. Ever. My main advice for new teachers is: "Don't assume any student is your friend until after you have tried to discipline him or her." On being assigned a detention, even the nicest student will yell at me like I just killed her mother.

I'm getting it under control, slowly. They won't defeat me, and I will teach them. It's going to take a few more months, but I am going to be great at this. And like I said, there are priceless moments that I don't think you will find in any other profession:

--The half-crazy student who loudly makes fun of my shoes but barrels into my room during lunch to eat with me.

--Good students who come to my lunch detentions just for the atmosphere.

--Students asking me how my day is going.

--My second period, too tired to be bad and always willing to participate in class activities. Especially the girl who raps her 7-minute writings to the class.

--My sixth period driving me crazy but being so warm and happy that I can't help looking forward to them every afternoon.

--Hearing them talk about their lives when they share 7-minute writings. What fascinating kids.

So I can tell it's going to be great. But it's still wearing me down every night. I honestly look forward to sleep like it's a trip to Disney World. I get eight hours every night, not so much because I need it but because I want to spend a large chunk of my day doing something that excites me.

I'm loving my home life. Much of it is spent planning and grading papers, but it's still so unbelievably comfortable. Katie has really turned our new apartment into a home. And she's been such a positive presence for me.

Just eating dinner with her -- first on the kitchen floor, now on our *dining room table* -- or talking to her or hugging her or watching her wash her face before bed.....those little things bring me so much joy. Maybe I've gotten old and boring before my time, but I feel so warm when I'm around her.

Mia the cat is a blast. She sleeps with us most nights and plays with me when I come home. She's not much for physical affection but she is always near us. Tonight she tried to hang out in our salad during dinner.

I was looking for equilibrium this summer -- as tough as my job is, when I am about to fall asleep at night with Katie next to me and Mia resting by my feet, I feel as peaceful and happy as I could ever hope to.

I never had crazy teenage years, so maybe it's a good thing that I'm embracing adulthood with as much effort and maturity as I can possibly muster.

Anyway, thanks for reading this far. I will try to update again soon but I just don't have the energy most nights. Good luck in your lives, and e-mail me anytime at CosmicBen@aol.com.