Summer 2015

Usually when you have a lot to do or do a lot, time seems to fly. That is the exact opposite feeling I have after this summer, even though I have done what seems to be a lot. I had a feeling that my calculus classes didn't go that well last year and that was confirmed in July when I got the results from the AP exams. While many of my students did great and I am extremely proud of them, I feel like I let a lot of them down based on their potential. I even wrote a couple of my supervisors an apology letter to let them know that I recognized what had happened and I wasn't okay with it. One of the things I hate the most is when people complain about something or have something go wrong and don't do anything about it. I tell my students all the time that it is okay to get something wrong or make a mistake, as long as you correct the problem. Taking a page out of my own book (not that I have written one), I dedicated as much time as I could this summer to being a better teacher. I attended two national conferences in other states, one NJ conference, participated in about 10 webinars, and read a book on teaching. I got to meet or listen to several people I have looked up to for a long time and have tons of notes. I have begun making changes to make sure I don't let any student down again.

On the last day of school in June, I got a call about an opening for a STEM supervisor position in a local school district encouraging me to apply. This is the type of job I have always wanted and it was a district that I thought would be a good fit for me. After talking it over with my wife, I decided to apply for the position to at least get an idea of where I was at in regards to getting such a job. The first round of interviews went great and I was invited back as one of three finalists to interview with the superintendent for the job. I walked away from the first interview with mixed emotions about possibly leaving Millville, but also excited about working with the people who were on that committee. I left the second interview knowing that I would not be offered the job. The superintendent had a totally different idea of what he thought someone in that position should do than me. It was a good learning experience, but not the person I wanted to work for in the end. I was kind of relieved because I felt like I still have some more work to do before I leave the classroom and didn't want to go out on a bad performance.

On top of all of the school-related stuff I did this summer, I also got to enjoy myself a little too. Our summer wrestling practices expanded to include our middle school kids, which was awesome to get them working with our varsity guys. I worked as a cook at Ike's Famous Crabcakes in Ocean City for the 15th summer and went to the beach with my family as much as I could.

Oh yeah, I also had a kid on August 14th (I guess my wife did the lion's share of the work, but I'm told I had something to do with it too). Dominick Robert Barber is named after both of his grandfathers (we couldn't do another Robert, so Dominick came first) and is my new best friend. It's amazing how much you can like a little guy who only eats, sleeps, and goes to the bathroom!

It feels like it has been so long since I have been in front of a class, I can't wait until Wednesday to get back to work.