A new record?

Well, if you count meetings, I've now been in my school for 8 (non-consecutive) days.  Today was my 5th day actually interacting with children.  And I cried from sheer frustration.  Not with the kids, but with disorganization.  A new record?  Perhaps.

I have a contract for 24 hours (lessons, some are 45 minutes) a week.  There are 6 lessons Monday through Thursday and 5 on Fridays.  However, on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have to leave after 4th lesson (so, at lunch) to make it to my masters classes on time.  This has made creating my schedule rather difficult.  20 of the lessons were assigned rather easily, I was told some of them would be used teaching teachers, and for the past week every time I've seen one of my bosses they've kind of shouted over their shoulder at me, "We need to figure out those last four classes!" as they ran off somewhere.

Fine.  Ok.  I'm used to this and I can handle it.

Today I hunted down the English director and told him I need my schedule.  I need to know what it is so I can plan times to meet with the other English teachers to prepare things, and also make plans with my study groups for my masters.  He then informed me that he thought the best thing would be if I taught the other teachers on Monday and Wednesday from 5-7 PM.

This means that I would go until 7 PM Monday and Wednesday, and until 10:30 PM (counting commute) Tuesday and Thursday.  I balked at this, and expressed that I feel I need at least one free afternoon a week.  He sort of blinked at me, and went, "Yes, Friday."  I tried to express that I would be happy to teach the teachers one afternoon a week, but not two.  "Well, we'll talk to the director and dean about it."

Those of you who know me or read faithfully know that I am a semi-professional crier.  I cry at the drop of a hat: sad, happy, angry.  I cry at commercials.  But most of all, I cry when I am frustrated.  So I walked down to my little room, and sat down, and stared at the floor until one of the other English teachers touched me and then, of course, I cried.  I told them what was going on and they were outraged "You tell him NO!"  "You are not a machine!" they shouted in typical Spanish fashion.

So I pulled myself together and taught the next two classes.  And then I went to the director, made sad face, and explained the situation to him. (Note: the director and English director are brothers.)  I figured that if we needed to talk to the director anyway, I met as well be the one to do so.  He declared that once a week was enough, and that I could do the other two lessons by offering assistance in classes.

So that's settled.  I feel better now.

My schedule, for those of you who are interested (Mom):
Monday: work 9:15-1, 2-4:30, 5-7
Tuesday: work 9-1, class 4-8:30
Wednesday: work 9-1 (Wednesdays=awesome)
Thursday: work 9:45-1, class 4-8:30
Friday: work 9-2
I have a half-hour break in the middle of my mornings, from 10:45-11:15 M-Th, and 10:30-11 Fridays.