Week 1

So I survived Week One of Student Teaching.

There are a lot of peculiar details to my situation which makes me sit uneasy with where I am, up until today, at least. See, one of my Master Teacher's is pregnant and due in early March. I was kind of getting some run around at the district office because apparently student teaching and substituting cannot mix without the prior approval of the Director of HR (also known as another loop hole). My concerns were twofold. See, first, I would be well into student teaching by the time she went on leave. If they did not determine that it was okay for me to take over and decided that I'd have to go somewhere else, I'd be pretty screwed with school. Second: if the opportunity to get paid to student teach part time is available, then why not take that opportunity to NOT live off of student aid.

Friday afternoon I received an email from the tech who processes the substitute applications stating that I was eligible and I did get approved so RELIEF comes to me. Now the remaining details of that scenario I will leave up to God because I should have done that in the beginning.

As for the actual classroom stuff, all went well. I observed in all of the 4 classrooms. My schedule:
1: English 10 Accelerated
4: English 9 Accelerated
5: English 9 Accelerated
6: English 9 Accelerated

So I mostly observed in all the classes. I was introduced to the class for the English 9 students. Most just stared into oblivion.

I'm scared of speaking in front of a classroom. I am uncomfortable doing it even though I have done presentations of so many varieties in school, my old work, etc.

Why am I scared?

I need to not be that. I will not be that.


I took 6th period's work home for grading. I am also making a master spiral for both grade levels because they have a spiral check and I need to know what the heck it's supposed to look like.

And, yeah... it was easy.

The best part about it was that I did not answer one phone call all week!

PRAISE THE LORD!!

Tomorrow's the big day

I have sat here in silence for over an hour. The transition begins tomorrow. So many things I have to keep in mind of and what necessitates attention tomorrow will be completely different than anything I have been doing for the past twelve years. Seems as though it should not be a big deal, but the unknown makes it exactly that. Huge in some instances, I suppose.

I don't even know what to wear, what to expect, where to go. I am just sort of going and hoping that I do not forget that at 11:00 (or is it 11:30??!) I have to meet with my supervisor and master teachers. It should be fairly short and not a big deal. One thing that was mentioned in the orientation was that I was to dress professionally because student teaching is essentially a 6-month long job interview. I suppose I should not feel obligated to take those words into account being that I am a 5-year veteran of that campus and they have honestly seen me in very poorly chosen "work attire". It would be masquerading for people who already know 1: how lazy my attire gets, 2: my intolerance of questions regarding pretty much anything that contains a hair follicle's-worth of logic, 3: how kick ass it is to have me around for those pesky little tasks that no one else either can do or wants to bother to do. UGH. That still bothers me. One day I hope to cash that in. Maybe....

Either way, I still feel that, in the spirit of maintaining at least tiny bit of professionalism to my Student Teaching Supervisor (STS) who is also my former English teacher, I should dress like I do not like denim. But I do. I love denim. Except the holidays and several other factors are making me realize that holiday weight is so damn real. I had to do Cowles Mountain AND an hour of spin to validate eating all that I ate today, which was not much save for the slice of pie.... but enough about that. Smart dress pants and any professional-ish top that I can manage to keep buttoned it is. And after that, a long session of exercise.

Joy.

This is where the reality of what the heck I have been stressing out for, for about 2 years begins. I think I need another slice of apple pie.....