At the end of my first year, I started to just get familiar with my career pathway--Law and Justice. Then, I attended a conference in the summer where I was informed everything was changing. All the sudden my program area became a career cluster and the name changed to Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security. Then, my pathway became Law Enforcement Services. And as I was just getting familiar with the curriculum and standards, they changed them, but wait just for one course. So now I have new standards for my introductory course which overlap with the old standards for my second course. Therefore, I feel like I am starting over again. Not too mention how I am supposed to juggle overlapping standards in two courses. And if that wasn't enough, I will get a new course next year and the following year. My fellow CTAE teachers say not to worry that they went through this same thing just a few years ago, but I am struggling. Trying to figure all this out on top of TKES, IEPs, RTI, SST, and NTI--I am drowning. They say change is good...to be continued.
JT
I am facing the same struggles. I know a lot of pathways have changed. I know it is essential to keep up with the career field and technology and the changes going on with those but dangggg. Last year, I remember thinking if I can just make it through my first year... I'll have the hang of it, I'll know what all these letters (TKES, RTI, NTI, EOCT, SLO) mean and I'll feel comfortable with it all. I was WRONG! Just when I though I had the hang of it, it changed, they've added more responsibility for teachers. It's gotten worse. The only thing I feel comfortable with is knowing we have each other and together we will make it happen. We can all offer each other support that we know is much needed, support and understanding that "veteran" teachers cannot give us. We're struggling through this together and I guess together isn't such a bad place to be. So, hang in there. If there is any support I can offer, please let me know.
ReplyDeleteJonathan it's funny how we all are going through the same thing. Sometimes I feel as though by the time I catch up, I'm actually 10ft behind. It's a never ending learning process. But like LRS stated, we have each other and at least we know mentally that we're not growing crazy.
ReplyDeleteTeaching as a profession is definitely challenging but I find that regardless of my constant growing, and support/nonsupport, I look forward to seeing and teaching my students. Somehow the students always remind me to just appreciate life and live in the now. Again, we're all here for each other.