First Impressions!!!!

The night before going into my placement at Central York High School, I had to babysit, then afterwards dance practice. I was suppose to babysit until 830pm in order to make it on time to dance practice at 9pm. Her parents did not get home until 945pm. Dance was over bib 1015pm. I was not going to make it. I was disappointed in there parents because as the 5 year old Sonia got ready for bed at 830pm, and was asleep after 10 minutes (she started kindergarden at a good private school- Lancaster county day), and was asking to go to bed at 7pm! I rocked in her rocking chair in her bedroom trying to read for my tech class a 21st century book, but kept getting distracted by my nerves and anxiousness about what Central York was going to be like. I knew I would have to wake up by 5:30am and leave my house by 610am. I was not a happy camper knowing that I would make it home by 11pm and fall asleep after getting everything done and prepared for tomorrow, so finishing up by 11:45pm. Not enough hours left to sleep right? I kept looking at Sonia sleep, and I wish I was in her shoes, but unfortunately no parents want to come home to find the babysitter asleep too. I packed my lunch right after I got home (EVEN THOUGH I DID NOT HAVE LUNCH ON FRIDAY!) Except a fruit smoothie, while my co-op had a banana. He is so busy and not relaxed. He said he lost a principle position because he is not relaxed. 

DAY 1:

"Whose going to be the first contestant,"said a teacher joking around. THere were five MU bloc students sitting anxiously, nervously in the front office. I had arrived first with a S.S ed girl who I gave a ride there to. We were the first to arrive, but last to be picked up. My co-op looked serious, like he was down to business when it came to teaching. We walked around a lot the first day, and he personally took me to the administrators offices to INTRODUCE me to the v-principal (theres four of them, and a new one is starting next week). Their principle is on ACTIVE DUTY in the military, interesting, I know (for two years now). The superintendent is taking over for now, got introduced to him too. I was shocked because I didn't think my new mentor co-op would go out of his way to do so. 

First period, like my first high school, there is student run t.v news broadcast everyone gets to see on the white board. My co-op was helping out another English teacher (who won the John-Hopkins award for teaching last year). He was going to administer a test: it was a pre-keystone test. The other ENglish teacher took out the class set of computers; all MAC's. All teachers (except the art teacher who I didn't notice, all had their own MAC same as the student one, except with their own name on it. 

I also met later on, the ex superintendent of Springdale (I believe this is misspelled). He is now a professor at Ship, and is my co-op's advisor for his doctorate program that he is in. There were four of us in the meeting. This was my favorite part of the day because the superintendent spoke about how disappointed education has gotten with so many test. He said, "I asked once a board of education administrator to take the 8th grade PSSA test, not the !! 11th because he wouldn't pass it, but the 8th grade PSSA, and he refused!" He said that there are so many people in politics, school board, the secretary of Education who he seen the night before at a meeting, that spend so much money on all these test, yet they won't take it themselves even though they believe strongly in them. He was a real spokesperson, who believed in education but was highly disappointed at where we are today. He was impressed with the school design and its advanced usage of technology. I was too! He told my co-op that he needs to take a day off and go to York city and visit three schools there and reflect on that. 

His last comments were: "my daughter told me she wants to be a teacher,I told her don't do it." 

Overall it was a good day, busy, but very informative. He teachers 2 AP classes everyday, even when they rotate. They are on block scheduling, 90 minutes a class. I have the number 1 senior class student ranked, in my class and he was asked by Google science to work for them in the summer, he did. Some students will graduate in January, new thing they are doing, just because some students did not take so many electives, so they are able to. THey have a senior student as an "intern" in the class. This intern, was the one wearing a mini short skirt, walked out of the class like three times, sat in the front room, overall very distracting. Overall, good day, interesting, informative, eye opener and shocking a bit.