Sleep

I just couldn't get a good night's sleep last night. I think that perhaps anxiety from the fact that I am going to be changing careers in a few months could be to blame. I am excited about my new job opportunity, but I am nervous about it too. For the past seven years or so I have been a math teacher. Beginning in mid-June, I will no longer be able to call myself a teacher. I will be sitting at a desk in a cubicle, working from 8:00 to 5:00. This will be the end of my getting off of work at 3:00. I guess I'll have to deal with not being able to watch "Judge Judy" every afternoon. In a way, I'll still be doing a job similar to what I do now. I'll still be helping students to learn, although not directly. By being someone who is creating the tests that students will be taking in school, I will be still be affecting their education.

Now I get to break the news to my department head. She was really hoping I'd stay. No one else in the math department where I teach particularly wants to teach the AP Calculus course. Maybe whoever they hire to replace me will want to teach it. I've enjoyed teaching calculus, although it is a lot of work. It's one class for which I have to do all of the homework assignments that I assign my students. For algebra, I don't have to do that. I could do the algebra in my sleep. In fact, I had a dream last night about factoring; seriously, I did. Yes, I know, that's sick.


I have one more comment that is completely unrelated to the rest of this post. On the news it seems that there is a story coming up about violent video games such as Grand Theft Auto. In the lead into the story at the commercial, the reporter said that many parents are getting fed up with these games, but free speech advocates say there is no legal way to keep them out of the hands of kids. Sure there is! The story is about localities passing laws prohibiting the sale of such games to kids. While that may not work, there is a way to keep them out of the hands of kids. Parents need to take the responsibility and not allow such games in their homes if they wish. I know that's easier said than done, but whoever said being a parent was easy.