Overload

This will be a quick post. You can tell by the title that I'm a bit overwhelmed. I went to my first EPI class last night. I was told at registration that there were slots for 35 students. When I showed up for class, there were more than sixty in the large meeting room. It was quite a night. Before the official class even began, the program director started in with the paperwork. I've got enough now to put up some pretty darn boring wallpaper in the second bathroom. This first EPI cohort is what they call fast track. I take that to mean that you jump on board and hang on or you're roadkill. Things move quickly in a 3-week class format. And we have five of those between now and the end of July.

This first class is on Diversity. If it's "diverse," we're covering it. Language differences, religious differences, cultural differences, age and gender differences. Here's news from the front: Special Ed is no more. Now it's called "Exceptionalities" and includes kids not only with learning and physical disabilities (and more), but also gifted and talented kids. I swear those pointy headed administrators have too much time on their hands. Last night we covered three chapters in the space of a little over two hours. We got to watch two videos taped from 60 Minutes, so that broke up the talk a bit. Also found out that we have a group project due a week from Saturday, this Saturday. We had 20 minutes at break time to find a couple of dupable partners and see if they want to collaborate. I found Jeanie and Nancy and we're doing our project on Language Differences. We've got a date to meet Saturday afternoon and put this 30-minute presentation together. Man, do I hope those gals feel creative. I'm still trying to catch my breath.

Good news, I guess, is that this first class is in a blended format, half classroom and have web-learning. That means that instead of showing up Tues and Thurs for four hours, I'll only have one class night a week, plus half a day of the Saturday class (for projects). The bad news is I don't have Internet at home. Today, I'm checking out the computers at the school, registering for my new email account and getting set up on the web-learning site. I'll have to sail across the lake, go to the public library or come here to do the web portion of my class. Doesn't look too bad, however. There are discussion questions for each chapter. I'll write my answers longhand, then seek a computer. Our final for this class is Feb 4. I think that's two weeks from tomorrow . . . . Meanwhile, I've already registered for my next EPI course, Professional Foundations.

Today I went to Ft Walton to the school district office for orientation. I'm applying as a substitute with Okaloosa County and the session is required. When I got there, I learned the board room, where the training is usually held, is under construction; our facilitator would give us a short day -- we were out of there by 1 p.m. instead of 3 p.m. There were 54 of us fitted quite snugly into a modular trailer. We were given a thick packet and asked to answer the quizzes at the back. Panic! Is this a test! Why are we being tested on stuff we know nothing about! After struggling along for half an hour, I asked our facilitator if all the answers to the quizzes were in the packet. He said no. You see how they play with your head.

Overall, though, it was a good, informative session. We talked about Title IX, the Florida Professional Code of Ethics for Educators, mandatory reporting of suspected abuse, dealing with angry kids (and the subset: dealing with angry parents), and a bevy of other useful topics. There were all kinds of people there applying for all kinds of jobs with the school district. Bus driver. Instructional aide. Cafeteria worker or custodian. One woman said she was 70 years old and embarking on her third career. Another said she had taught math for 32 years, retired and enjoyed it, then was called back "just for 30 days" to tutor kids for the FCAT (Florida standardized test). Another woman came with her daughter; they were going into substitute teaching as a tag team. There was a good mix of folks, each one I'm sure, with a story. Then there was the young woman who asked if substitutes could wear flip flops, like they do in Escambia County. This was after we talked about professional dress and teachers who got dismissed their first year for showing up looking like street walkers. Flip flop girl said, "Well, this is the beach." I'd be happy if they'd just have an auto de fe with those dang flip flops. I'm sick of people wearing them year round everywhere. But I digress.

I asked myself a few times why I decided to go this route, work as a substitute while going through EPI. There are no benefits and, as a degreed substitute teacher, I'll make a whopping $8/hr. I can't remember the last time I worked for $8/hr. A few of the women sitting next to me said that subbing would make a difference however. One of them said she'd worked as a sub in Walton County and was hired into a regular position because of it. I'm hopeful. Also, it seems incredible to me that you can teach high school here with a high school diploma. I mean, shouldn't the teacher KNOW more than the kids? How weird would it be to walk into a classroom full of 18 year olds if you're say, 20? Too strange.

Looks like I'm back to being a poor student. Maybe my folks will send me a care package. I'm off now to pay for my next class.