Then the Lights Went Out - 12/5/07

Today was chaotic. In the middle of first period the power went out in half of the building. Unbelievable. My supervisor was waiting in the hallway because he had come in to observe my teaching. All he ended up seeing was me trying to control thirty kids for almost three full periods in almost the pitch dark because our classroom is on the inside of the building and we have no windows. I attempted to maintain control as much as possible. I was upset because I was on a roll teaching them about the decline of the Roman Empire. The students were eventually sent home at the end of third period but the teachers were instructed to stay. I stayed until my usual time but overall I felt as though the day had been wasted and the administration once again dealt with the problems in an incompetent way. I was thoroughly unimpressed with the lack of guidance and direction given to the staff who were suppose to some how control over 2,400 students in the dark. I wonder if my lesson plans would have been effective if the lights hadn’t gone out.