Oops. I accidentally grew up.

[WARNING: HALF-BOTTOMED (I work in the schools now) BLOG ALERT! It's bedtime, but I haven't blogged for sooooo long! I'm now writing in accordance with my better mediocre than never! policy.]

So, I now have a stable job, I wear nice pants and button-up shirts (except Fridays I can wear jeans!), I have an official title ("ENL Collaborator"), AND kids call me Mr. Rody. Could somebody please tell me what happened to the old Mr. Ro... er, Matthew? And now it's 10:30 pm and I'm all like oh, it's past my bed time, I'd better not blog even though I haven't for sooooo long! Weird. Rest assured that somewhere buried in this mess of buttons, pomp and collars the old Matthew lives on. Let me tell you a bit about his new job.

As well as I can recall, my last post heralded this new job but didn't really describe it at all. I am now the ENL Collaborator for the entire 6th grade at GMS (and have been for two weeks now (!!!)). What this means (as far as I can tell... No really. My job description is to some degree self-determined.) is that I, to the best of my ability, track the progress of all the recent ENL Academy grads and help them transition to all-English classes. (The ENL Academy is a group of specialized classes that offers English-learning-focused curriculum to kids coming from a non-English-speaking back ground. To them, English is a new language (hence the acronym "ENL"), and thanks to the effectiveness of the program they pick it up pretty quickly. Then they begin making the transition to all-English-speaking classes. And that's where I come in. I check grade sheets, talk to teachers, attend classes and talk to students to who is struggling with what and how I can help. Often I provide in-class aid, but during study hall and sometimes during class I'll take kids to my room for tutoring. Sounds cool, right?

The Pros:

• I now have a regular job with a steady income.
• I get to work directly with kids and with the same kids day after day. I get to watch their progress and forge relationships.
• Often relationships = friendships. Already I get high fives and "Hi, Mr. Rody"s in the hallway. Today one kid chose to confide in me about a relative's recent auto accident. I even get some respect from a few of the rowdy "bad kids," albeit only when they are alone in a room getting tutored by me with no friends around to impress.
• No lesson plans or papers to grade!

The Cons:

• Aside from my one explicit goal - help ENL kids as much as possible - I don't really have a set job description. What means are best? Do I focus on tutoring? Do I try conferencing/intervention to help nip attitude and behavior problems in the bud? Should I spend more of my time trying to make sure classroom material is accessible to those who still struggle with English? Who knows? I do, or have to, I suppose.

Another Pro I forgot earlier:

• I have two sweeeeet co-workers who are my 7th and 8th grade counterparts. They're fun to chat with before school and at lunch, plus they give me tons of advice. Also, basically the entire staff of GMS is helpful and friendly.

Back to Cons, I guess:

• I have no supervision/feedback system. The last time I talked to the principal (other than one "hi" in the hall) was when she hired me. I just sent her a check-in email today for good measure, but essentially there is no-one directly over me. That's cool in some ways (I actually have responsibility and am treated in such a way) but scary in others (I have to call my own shots). Basically my only feedback is when teachers thank me for helping catch certain kids up.
• Forget it. I'm now too tired to keep making lists. The job is a good one. I can't complain.

The Stories:

• Today a kid I was tutoring tried to convince me that the person I'm subbing for used to take him to Taco Bell every day for lunch. Nice try kiddo.
• When I went to one class for the first time, one boy said hey, who's this guy? Another replied oh, that's Mr. Rody. He's cool. He helped me with my math homework. Win. And these sixth graders wonder why they'll ever need math skills... To impress future sixth graders!!!
• Today I was working with a reading group in the hall. One kid (who acts up constantly in class) was actually eager to read and was doing a good job when his pocket started making noises. He soon realized it was his mp3 player. If I see it, I'll take it, I said, informing him that I intended to follow school policy on the issue. It kept making noise. Please, Mr. can't I take it out to turn it off? I began repeating what I had said and then realized that I was essentially telling him to continue being extremely distracting (he was already dancing to his music). Okay, fine. Turn it off, then put it away and then I don't want to see it or hear it... or I will take it away. [Remember all those times when teachers lectured and chided and scolded and it sounded kinda awkward, like they were pulling it out of their bottom? Now I see. Teachers are forced to be master improvisers. It just doesn't work perfectly 100% of the time...]

That's all, folks!