Yesterday was an odd one. Sarah was still in bed recovering from the effects of a bad egg, while I was at work, getting ready for a whole bunch of classroom observations that’ll start next week.
Every teacher in my district has yearly classroom observations during their first 3 years, and then another observation every couple of years after. It basically amounts to an administrator sitting in your classroom and watching how you teach, which is…unsettling. While they are largely a formality, you will always always always be told “how you can improve.”
I don’t think I’m a perfect teacher. I’m competent, and I think I’m doing a not-bad job during my first few years at a new district. But, while there is always room for improvement, I never have a meeting with an administrator that doesn’t result in my having more work to do. I could be the best goddamned teacher this side of the Missouri River, full of charisma, teaching a room full of literal angels, and an observing administrator would still tell me, “Are your students’ wings obstructing their view of the whiteboard?”
My school is a good pubic school and my administrators are good administrators, but it definitely does seem like administrators are a solution in search of a problem.
Anywho. It’s fine that I’m going to be critiqued and I’m sure I’ll get some practical advice on how to improve my teaching, but I think there are better things admin could be doing. Our internet connection has been broken for 3 out of the last 5 days, I have been struggling to get students access to the online version of our textbook, my classes are so full that I don’t have a single desk to spare, and administrators are tackling all these problems by telling teachers they’re using too much paper.
I honestly didn’t read much of Midnight’s Children yesterday, but I did start doing some background research on Indian Independence. After over a century of British occupation, India achieved independence in 1947. As they approached this freedom from colonial rule, there were varying opinions on how the subcontinent should practically govern itself. In the end, different cultures and ethnic groups decided if they wanted to be their own country or join together with others. The biggest “split” was the separation of India and Pakistan, two countries that have gone on to rival North and South Korea for the coveted ‘Best Neighbors” award.
I found some footage on YouTube of Indian Independence Day. While it is silent (save a few mysterious hisses and pops), it is interesting to see a few glimpses into the lives of everyday Indian people, along with massive crowd sizes during the celebration:
The main character of the book, Saleem Sinai, is born at the exact moment of India’s Independence. (Which, I assume, is why the book is called Midnight’s Children.) His trajectory will match the trajectory of India, so I’m going to do a bit more reading up on major events in India from 1947 – 1980 (?). I don’t know if that’ll help me enjoy the book more, but it wouldn’t hurt to know more about the country, considering I’ve never formally studied Indian history.
It is cold and dark outside. Jolene is asleep in front of the little space heater we have in the office. Last night I dreamed of refrigerators.