Fall Visit to the NW

I am on an airplane coming back from paradise. I just spent 5 days in Walla Walla frolicking in the Walla Walla leaves of many colors and breathing fresh air while drinking delicious water. It was a wonderful trip yet so hard to leave. It was great to see friends and places enjoyed while I was student, but hard as I am headed back to Texas.

I am still having a difficult time enjoying Texas. The city of Houston is just so large and ugly and lacks the crisp air and beauty that the NW spoils its residents with. There are positives; I really enjoy the two nights a week that I get to swim with the Master's team. I enjoy coaching swimming at St. Thomas High School (a privileged all boys Catholic school). I also enjoy working with my scholars despite how it exhausting it can be.

I am temporarily teaching 4th grade Reading and Writing in a bilingual classroom. I am not qualified to teach bilingual education, as clearly I am not bilingual. My principal decided to break the two bilingual classes in half based on their English proficiency level. So, I have the advanced English speakers and for the most part they can understand me and it works. However, there is a lot of work to be done to prepare them for the writing state assessment that they have to take in English in February. My students have not been taught in English before. Because of this, my students' writing is really poor in English. A big task as they HAVE to pass the test for my school's accountability rating and my job!

Last week I took my 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade gifted and talented students to Rice University. I took 20 kids and 8 parents. It was great exposure for them. Most of them had never been to Rice before or the West side of town. I think the college visit inspired my students and helped begin the process of them realizing that they can go to college. One of my little 3rd graders told our tour guide that he would see him in 10 years as a student at Rice. Another girl argued with him saying she was going to Stanford. The best part was a few of them arguing that they are going to go where Mr. Street went and go to Whitman!

I worry about my job sometimes as it could be eliminated. I am being funded by special education dollars and still do not have special education students. I am illegally teaching 4th grade and the gifted and talented job role is not enough to keep me employed. So, if HISD found out that I still did not have kids and was still being funded, they potentially could dissolve my position. I would be switched to another school if that were the case and be hired for a potentially very different special education position... I am not sure that I realistically could handle that.

I love hearing from all of you guys. Happy fall!

Robert