I started my two week block placement on Monday. This means for all you non-teacher types, that I’ll be teaching for the next 14 days or 336 hours or 20 160 minutes, give or take a bathroom break or two. It’s been crazy, exhausting, frustrating and so much freakin fun! And I’ve got some great laughable teaching moments to report.
On Wednesday, I was leading the kids through a gym lesson on how to throw a ball. Seems pretty straight forward, but it is a skill which needs to be taught. And for some of the kids (and this is not only in my class, but a general observation I’ve made about little humans) the closest they come to physical activity is the bowling game on the Wii. Needless to say, I had my hands full.
After I handed out the bean bags (can’t start with real balls, someone might get hurt….it’s that bad), I began demonstrating the proper technique for throwing underhand. Everything was going great, except for one tiny little problem. No one was paying attention to me.
Me: Ok, girls and boys, I’m going to show you how to properly throw underhand.
Student: Look at me; I can balance the bean bag on my head.
Me: That’s great Johnny, but just hold it in your hands.
Student: Ha ha, I can balance it on my foot.
Me: Please just hold onto the bean bag, and watch me.
Student: Hey everyone, I can throw it up to the ceiling!
Me (in my kindest teacher voice): Ladies and gentlemen, eyes on me!
Student: Aweseome, I can juggle it with just one hand!
At this point, you may have felt what seemed to be another earthquake in southern Ontario. Have no fear, it was only my patience cracking!
Me: PUT THE BEAN BAG ON THE RED LINE AND LOOK AT ME!!!!
Student: I can throw the bean bag up to the ceiling and catch it with my butt...with my eyes closed, coooooolllllll!
Me: *#^@&^#%&@%#$!%@^##%$**!^#&#*&!%@$...... (deep breath, count to 10).......that's it, gym class is over!
Student: What's wrong with Mrs. G, I was having such a great time!
GGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!
They should teach "drinking for your sanity 101" in teacher's college. I'd get an A+ no problem!
Don't worry, I'll more stories to share.....after the 2 tylenols, 3 gravols and pepto clear up my wicked "headache".
I recently had dinner with some of the funniest and brightest women I know. Before the pinot grigio kicked in (and the conversation became rated R), someone asked “if you could change one thing from your younger years, what would it be?”
Now, I strongly believe in the idea that everything happens for a reason, so I’m reluctant to pin point one thing I would change. Instead, I thought, if I could be a sort of mentor to my 16 year old self, what would I tell myself? So here’s the advice I wish someone had given me 15 years ago.
1. Popularity wanes, brains stay forever. Embrace your intelligence and don’t worry what the ‘cool’ kids think - they won’t amount to anything spectacular.
2. He got the toilet paper from the bathroom, so don’t ask. You’ll just end up looking like an idiot!
3. The van does not belong to his friend. Don’t get in!
4. Brockville is worth the resulting two months of grounding. Enjoy yourself.
5. Tim Horton’s won’t always have a pie counter - indulge while you still can.
6. Sign up for Latin in grade 10. Pineridge is not worth your time.
7. Ms. Vanwow is just trying to teach Latin to a bunch of hormonal teenagers, give her a break.
8. Forget about the perm, you’ll look ridiculous.
9. When you go to university, sit in the front row, pay attention and learn. It is way harder to do it when you have 3 kids hanging off of you.
10. You will have 3 boys. Don’t worry though, you’ll learn to love hockey.
11. Apply to teacher’s college in 1997. By the time you are 33, you’ll have 10 years experience, and probably a student teacher following you!
12. That geeky computer thing called the internet will take off. Find the founders of Google and make them your friends!
13. Travel - road trips to Wonderland don’t count.
14. Stick with the good guys. The bad ones will only break your heart. The good ones will support and love you no matter what.
15. You are not fat!
16. 30 is not old!
17. Why are you smoking? So not cool, my dear
18. Don’t bother with history. It’s way too hard and boring. Go with sociology, it’s the closest thing you’ll find to a degree in conspiracy theories.
19. Stand up for your "sista", she’ll still have your back in 15 years.
20. Moisturize.
21. The suede vest is so not worth it, save your money and buy something from Kmart.
22. Be nice to your bus driver. She gets paid very little to deal with your crap!
23. Most importantly, enjoy life. You’ll love (most of) it!
“They” say that every child is born with the ability to sing beautifully, but through years of criticism and snide comments, that natural ability is slowly erased. By the time we reach adulthood, most of us can’t carry a tune, or confine our singing strictly to the shower. The same can be said about dancing, drawing…basically performing.
The other day, as T and I were running some errands (i.e. mom’s nightly Timmie’s run), I asked him if his school held dances. You probably remember this wonderful rite of passage….girls on one side of the gym, boys on the other. And if anyone was brave enough to cross that boundary, you slowed danced at arm lengths.
Anyways, he replied with “no, but I can’t dance so I wouldn’t go even if they did.” I found this kind of disturbing, because if you know me you know that I love to dance! I won’t be on “So you think you can dance” anytime soon, but I think I do a good job of moving my arms and legs in a somewhat coordinated fashion. Kinda like this.....(no need to watch the whole thing, you'll get my point pretty quickly)
And I don't care.
What was I talking about? Oh right....later that evening, we were cruising down memory lane, watching some old home videos, and who do I see but my sweet little “T” at the tender age of 4 bustin a move. He was dancing and moving around in such a free and natural way. And he clearly didn’t care who was watching him. Somewhere between the age of 4 and 12, “T” got the message that he couldn’t dance. How does this happen?
If you have a free minute, watch Sir Ken Robinson’s speech on creativity in schools or rather lack of. Riveting stuff!
His message is pretty much bang on. During the 12 years that kids are in school, we slowly wean out the creativity and replace it with robotic thinking and a fear of being wrong. Just look at how the curriculum is broken down: mandatory 90 minutes of literacy a day, 60 minutes of mathematics and just 30 minutes per week of art (whether it is drama, dance, visual arts or music - only 1 period per week to cover the arts). We tell the kids to be walk quietly through the halls, raise your hand, follow the rules, stand in a straight line, don’t pick your nose…. ok maybe that last one is a good thing. With the exception of recess, students are told over and over again, stay in the box and you’ll succeed.
The underlying message is crystal clear - creativity will get you nowhere in life. We’ve all heard about the “starving artist”, but how many times have you heard of the “starving banker, starving lawyer or starving CEO.” Even worse, is that if you show just a glimpse of “out of the box thinking”, you’re automatically categorized with the vegan, far left, tree hugger types (not that there is anything wrong with “those” people)
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating that we scrap reading and math and replace it with group chanting of Kumbaya. But what’s wrong with adding some groove into the daily grind. Why are we striving to mass produce cookie-cutter kids?
Sir Robinson said it so eloquently: “if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” We live in a society that views mistakes as a life-ending event, a terrible flaw in need of immediate correction. But if we take a step back and look at some of the greatest inventions ever, we’ll see some pretty successful mistakes -Penicillin, Velcro, and my favorite - the potato chip, just to name a few.
So I’m on a freakin mission to bring back some groove and creativity into the classroom. I belt out O’Canada every morning (don’t worry, the kids have grown accustom to their bleeding ears!) I try my best at painting, drawing, and sculpting. I even have plans to teach a dance/rhythm lesson next week (sorry if you just had coffee/beverage of choice come out your nose) Even more impressive is that I’ll do it without the help of “liquid courage!”
I’ve quickly figure out that I don’t want to produce a whole class of mini-Jenn’s (thank God too, cause that would be just plain scary!) I want the kids to see that you can fun being creative, and bopping to the beat. I want them to take chances and risks (academically - I don’t want them to have a starring role in Jackass) . If they can think on their own and question the status quo even better!
By being creative and innovative in my teaching, I hope that I pass on a love of learning and exploration. Maybe then, in 2040, one of my students will accidently create a viable fuel out of water or solve world peace. Even better, they might become teachers themselves and continue my message of groovin!
With this in mind, I've decided to assign my first homework assignment to all my dear blog followers. You're mission is to crank some great music and dance like theres no tomorrow. It can be anything - AC/DC, Justin Bieber, Elvis, 50cent, whatever, just go out there and get your groove on!
Many of you may know that I love roller coasters. I have never met a roller coaster which I didn't love. The bigger, the better is my motto for coasters. Sure, I may be praying (read: cursing like a banshee) on the first big hill, but I eventually come around and love the ride.
But emotional roller coasters are a totally different type of ride, and honestly I want it to stop! I seriously can't take the ups and downs of teacher's college anymore. Last week, I was in a good place emotionally. I was up to date in my readings, and actually I was working ahead on the schedule (a rarity in my line of work!) My lessons (asides from the infamous "cheeseburger" episode of 2010) had gone remarkably well. If you had asked me last week what I thought of teacher's college thusfar, I would have smiled and said "it's not that bad."
Fast forward to this past weekend. In the span of just two days, I went from being ahead of the game, to being overwhelmed and overloaded. The thing with my assignments/lesson plans/readings is that they tend to get intense all at the same time. So on Sunday, I was desperately trying to plan 3 lessons, read 200 pages of crap and work on 4 reflective journals (BLAH!). And I snapped! Since my SWV supply was shockingly low, my dear (but lonely) husband was very close to putting me in the car and taking a short drive down to visit the nice doctors at the mental hospital.
Instead he reminded me that I can't stop time, nor can I change the situation, so why stress over it at 2:00 in the morning. He wisely left me alone to have a good old fashion ugly cry, then calmly (but carefully) offered his advice. Now, let's get one thing clear. In my marriage, I'm always right, so it came as a great surprise that he offered sound advice. Yes, I'm admitting that C was right! But don't tell him I said that cause it might go to his head!
Tonight, as I'm writing this blog at 1:20 am, I'm back to being in a reasonably stable state of mind. Sure I have tons of stuff to do, and I'm once again giving sleep for assignments, but my tear ducts need a break.
Oddly enough, this roller coaster of emotions is also a daily event. This morning, I lead 2 small groups of students (remember they're only 8 years old) through my final input lesson on paragraph structure. Sounds easy right? WRONG! I've been working with the kids for 2 weeks now, and they don't seem to get it. Indent, topic sentence, 3 supporting sentences, closing sentence. Boom - done! Since they weren't able to transfer their knowledge to their writing, I felt that I had no one to blame but myself. I had failed them as a teacher, they won't pass grade 3, they won't get into an ivy-league school and they'll live their lives begging for spare change. Ok, this might be a tiny bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point. Because of my delicate emotion state to begin with, I questioned my intensions as an educator. It was a serious drop of the Behemoth ride of teaching.
Then after lunch, I had to lead the students through an art lesson about lines. We went on a "line hunt" in the classroom, used overheads to show famous line paintings and had the kids paint their version of Van Gogh's "Starry night." The kids loved it! I was in control, and they were clearly grasping the concept. I was back on the teaching high!
At the end of the day, my MT and I discussed my aprehension about teaching. They said that they have similar feelings, even after teaching for 10 years. Sounds comforting, but all I could think of was...."you mean it doesn't stop!" If I have any hope of getting to the end of this "ride", I need to invest in a lot of tissues and maybe even SWV shares - might as well make some money while I'm losing my mind!!!
Good night :)
P.S. I'm too darn tired to hit the spell check button, so just ignore any grammar mistakes. If you're so inclined, print this blog, mark it with a red pen and give it to me the next time we meet. But be prepared to have to take me on a "short drive!"
Hello everyone! I know its been such a long time since I last blogged. I've been crazy busy and bombarded with school related work. So I apologize. If you happened to have seen me over the last few weeks, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. I've been stuck at the computer for so long, I'm afraid people might start talking about me the way they do 'big foot'. A legend but never actually seen. Maybe I should post a blurring picture of myself running through a forest, naked just to keep the mystery alive! OY VEY - there I go off topic again. I really have to cut back on the caffeine! My point is....well I'm not sure I ever had a point, but nonetheless its good to be back!
As indicated by the title, I had a great day! And its not because of any life altering teaching moment, or what Oprah would call an AHHHHHA moment. Nor is it because my family and I actually sat down together to eat a meal. Nor is it because that meal wasn't Kraft dinner (although that in itself is a very good reason to consider today to be a great day!) I had a great day because of two seemingly unimportant events.
First, I (the poster girl for the "Math is really stupid" movement) did long division!!!!! AMAZING I KNOW!!!! It has been at least 20 years since I did any sort of division without the assistance of a calculator! What makes this moment even more exciting is that not only did I do long division, but I also explained long division to J! I CANNOT BELIEVE IT! I remembered all the little steps, even the bit about a remainder! I know what you're probably thinking..."big whoop-de-doo, she did long division..who cares!" Some of you may also be thinking..."Oh dear God, she's going to be a teacher?, YIKES!" Well my answer to both of you is PHWWWTTTT (which is not an acronym for Pineapples Hate Wild Wacky Wednesdays Through To Tough Thursdays - it is the technical term for typing out the raspberry sound. I googled it, and since you all know that the Internet only speaks of absolute truths you can trust me!)
Where was I?? Oh right, long division and PHWWWTTT! As I helped pack up the homework, I walked away with a great sense of pride. Before you know it, I'll be doing calculus and geometry - actually scratch that idea - I'm just starting to memorizing my times table!
The second seemingly unimportant event which occurred today, was that someone called me (again - poster girl for "Computers are nothing more than a fad, so why should I learn about them" movement) to ask for computer help! Apparently, I've convinced certain lovely individuals that I'm computer literate! Which many, if not all of you, will know is complete BS. Computers and I are definitely not friends. I hate computers so much, that if computers were a person they'd be.......well someone I really don't like. HA! Take that stupid computers!!!
But tonight, one of my FTSFS (Fellow Tortured Soul From School) called to ask for my help navigating our school's library website. And I was successful! Which is even more amazing if you think about it. Not only was I able to help my friend, I was also able to do so without leaving her rocking on the floor in a fetal position screaming for her Mommy! Absolutely amazing!
One final thought, with Thanksgiving still in the air, I wanted to tell you what I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for the fact that I'm 45 days into teacher's college, and I'm thankful that I only have 211 days to go! But I am most thankful for my dear friends and family who not only understand the crazy life I current live, but also support me 100%. You know you who are, so with all my love and gratitude...THANK YOU!
Photo source: theeway.com
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Last December, when I filled out the personal statement part of my teacher’s college application, I wrote that it was the emotions involved in teaching which drove me towards the realm of education. As a reading mentor and tutor, I loved witnessing the joy in a child’s face when they mastered a concept they had previously struggled with. And I felt a child’s frustration when they didn’t quite get it. I wanted more of those emotions. However, as a tutor, I would sit with a child for 1 hour, once a week and focus only on their academics. I never created any sort of relationship beyond our objective of completing homework.
Yet, in only a few short weeks, the students in my placement class and I have created a relationship which goes well beyond that of a tutor and their charge. I know how many brothers and sisters the students have, I have learned what they like to do on the weekends, I have witnessed they’re individual learning styles and I have come to understand the realities that some of these children live with.
During the first week of school, there was one child in particular who caught my eye. Every day that week “Sam” came to school with only a small bag of cereal for both snack and lunch; a few times they had a yogurt tube. Although I noticed the situation, I didn’t give it much thought. At times, my own children eat their lunches on the bus ride to school, and I figured Sam had done the same.
Then last Tuesday, Sam brought just two cookies for snack and lunch. Again, I didn’t give it much thought until I saw Sam eat just one cookie and then wrap up the second one ever so gently. The expression on Sam’s face said ‘I really want to eat that cookie, but if I do, I know I’ll have nothing else to eat.’
Like I mentioned earlier, I entered the teaching profession because of the emotions. However I hadn’t even considered these heart-wrenching moments. This situation has rocked me to the core. The very idea that an eight year old lives with such an unimaginable weight on their shoulder, absolutely breaks my heart. It makes me wonder about the other children in the classroom, in the school and in the community - what realities do they live in?
For the past week, I have raked my brain on how I could ‘save’ Sam. I thought I’d bring them lunch every day or even give an anonymous donation of a grocery store gift card to their family. Then on Sunday, as if it was a sign, I read a quote on a friend’s (who happens to be a teacher) wall - “I may not be able to change the world, but I can certainly make a difference’. With that, I have realized that I can’t be Sam’s savior nor I can’t change situations beyond my control. I can however help to create a classroom where Sam and all the other children like them, feel safe and welcomed.
I brought apples that I had picked over the weekend to class yesterday. I didn’t want to direct any attention to Sam, plus every one can benefit from eating a little healthier, so I offered the apples to whole class. A few children ate them including Sam but most of the students were content to eat their own snacks. While this gesture certainly didn’t change Sam’s situation, but I hope that they ate the apple realizing that someone noticed and that someone cares.
As I reflect back on this situation, it only serves to fuel my desire to teach even more. Despite the fact that my tear ducts have all but dried up, I can't wait to get back into the classroom. And if at the end of my teaching career, I have made just one difference in just one child's life, then I'll consider that a job well-done.
I'm in a bad mood :( I wanted to type something witty and funny; I wanted to make you smile. But three things prevented me that doing that....unions, my school and men/boys (not necessary at the same time nor in that order).
Today, after a week of observations at my placement school, I couldn't wait to get back to my "university" classroom to debrief with my fellow students. Plus, I had spent the past few days describing my week to anyone and everyone who would listen....I needed a new audience.
We (when I say "we", I really mean "me") were having a wonderful discussion about our (my) experiences when all of a sudden the lights flickered, the air became bone-chillingly cold and I had that awful feeling that I was about to be forced to hold a picket sign and keep warm over a burning barrel. My initial thought was that Jimmy Hoffa had been buried underneath my school, and that he was haunting us from his undisclosed grave (crazy I know, but I have one heck of an imagination - just ask me about the movie "I am Legend"). I was relieved to discover that that was not the case, but was equally terrified when I turned to see the local teacher's union rep standing beside me.
These guys are tough. And they mean business. And they definitely do not like school boards or the ministry of education. They pointed fingers accusingly, had booming voices and ranted against "the man" - if I didn't know better I would have thought it was my Grandma saying Christmas grace! But I digress. "They" successfully sucked the joy right out of the classroom. Apparently every parent, child, principal and school board member is on the sole mission of bringing down and destroying every teacher's career. It's us vs. them. Every single day, of every single year, in every single class there is the ever lurking danger of a false accusation.
I'm not saying that all teachers are perfect, far from it. And yes I agree that every person who works with children (teachers, bus drivers, coaches, etc) should take precautions to protect themselves - don't be alone with a child in a secluded area, don't kiss boo-boos and certainly don't subscribe to "Ilikekiddies.com". But I think its gone a little too far. We were warned not to touch students in anyway (no high fives, no pat on the back, and I'm sure even "props" is considered a no-no). Apparently, I must morph into a cold-hearted machine every time I show up at school. And that’s just no fun.
If the government wants to control the teacher population (Bob Barker?), rather than limiting the number of teachers college spaces, they should make any wanna-be teachers take a visit down to the teacher's federation. That will definitely clear up that pesky problem of enthusiasm.
My second rant is regarding my school. Today, myself and 100 of my fellow students had to haul our butts ALL THE WAY to our school’s main campus - about a 45 minute drive. What pressing issue is so freakin important that it made complete sense to send all those people (and cars) all that way? A lesson on how to set up an email account with the school (which 99% of us already had!) and a tour of the library which none of us will ever use! It’s a freakin university and a liberal one at that, did it not occur to anyone that it would be better for the environment and the mental health of everyone involved to send ONE person, in ONE car to see us???? Man, what the heck is all my tuition dollars paying for? - certainly not higher level thinking (teacher term!) I took a popular toll route (which costs me $15.00 and my firstborn - sorry T, remember mommy loves you) and it still took me 57 minutes!!!!!! GRRRRR!!!!
All together, it amounted to 6 hours of completely wasted time; I could have been at home doing much more productive things, like watching the season premiere of Oprah (trips to Australia for everyone!!!!) Luckily when I got home, I was able to quickly find the peace and solitude only a McDonald's combo and bottle of SWV can bring.
My last complaint has dissipated since I began writing this blog. No need to provide details, I’ll just say it involved lunch bags, open containers of chocolate milk and my 3 younger male roommates (you know who you are!!!!). But after a swig of SWV, and a good ole’ fashion primal scream, I have moved on.
Ahhhh, I feel much better. No longer grumpy - just sleepy. Good night!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Ok, I lied. I said that I wouldn’t torture you with the details of my first classroom activity but I will and I am. Right now. Hey if you don’t like it, leave. It’s my blog and I can bitch if I want to!
I’m not quite sure how to type out the sound you make when you stick out your tongue (I believe the technical term is raspberry), so use your imagination and insert your own sound effects. (Actually, if you go here you’ll hear the sound I’m referring to) Now, while you’re doing that, do a “thumbs down”. And that basically explains how my first activity went. To put it another way….it sucked!
Despite the fact that I could tell (and have told) 72 “high energy” children to sit down, be quiet and enjoy the ride while travelling at 100km/hour along the DVP…..during rush hour traffic… on a Friday….. before a long weekend, the idea of leading 14 grade 3’s through a simply energizer game scared the crap out of me! And before I go any further, I need to say that, yes, I am 100% aware of the fact that hell would have to freeze over before anyone could do 100km/hour on the DVP on a Friday before a long weekend - it’s just not possible. I was just trying to make a point. Anyways……
I was so nervous and so apprehensive about the whole thing, that I totally forgot everything I had mentally prepared the night before. There was no modeling of expected behavior; the rules were not clearly explained, they basically stared at me as if I was speaking a foreign language. Actually, this is probably what they heard….. click here In a nutshell, I asked a grade 3/4 class to do something they had never, ever done before….I asked them to line up…..according to….(this is meant to build excitement)….their age….youngest (can you feel the drama)….to….oldest!!!!!!! OMG!!!! I am a horrible, horrible student teacher! And they just couldn’t do it. (Go here to hear the appropriate sound effect)
In the end, I threw in the proverbial towel and called it quits. My MT had to step in and help me out. They stepped in with such grace, dignity and control! I was in complete awe! Granted they have been teaching for almost 10 years, and in the teaching industry, experience is absolutely priceless.
Anywhoo….with my first disastrous activity under my belt I was able to move forward. Since Wednesday, I have played several successful games with the students. I was calm, I was cool, I was the stupid, fun Jenn many of you have come to love and put up with! Have a fabulous weekend!
Well I survived. Even better, I think I flourished (as well as someone can given the situation). My outfit was perfect (a nice dress from Marks, business but functional), my questions were inquisitive but not annoying and I brought a gift for my mentor teacher (MT) (a 6 pack of tissue boxes).
I think I made a good first impression. My MT did introduce me as "Mrs. Groth" but that was fixed by the end of the day. I'm thinking I'll go by "Mrs. G". Sounds cool and kids can't turn it into "Mrs. Gross" - a definite sign of dislike amongst the students!
So what did I do all day you ask? Basically I sat back and observed MT for the day. MT seems like a laid back teacher, doesn't let stuff get to them. I felt a little like a lost puppy, but what else am I suppose to do? Kick MT aside and start teaching. It is only the first day, I'll save that sort of activity until at least Thursday!
The one thing I noticed was the difference between the theory I'll learn in teachers college and the realities of the classroom. It's all fine and dandy to "teacher talk" till the cows come home, but realistically the kids will run you over. They're only 8-9 years old but they'll eat you alive if you let them! There is definitely a fine line between enforcing the rules/expectations and being considered a hard ass.
Tomorrow, I get to do an "energizer" activity with the kids. I'm going to do two games, one called "That's me" and the other one is called "Line em'up". I'll spare you the details, but will let you know how it went. Fingers crossed that none of the kids boo me and call me Mrs. Gross!
Yesterday I worried that I won’t be strong enough to survive the stress which is sure to occur over the next year.After some deep reflection, fueled mostly by a glass of strawberry wild vines, I realized that there isn’t a darn thing I can do to change the situation - so why worry.
Experts say that in a drowning situation, the worse thing to do is to panic. Flapping your arms, kicking wildly and screaming bloody murder only makes matters worse, and you’ll sink faster than a rock!Instead ‘they’ insist that to increase your chances of making it out alive, you must remain calm.In doing so, your survival instincts kick in and guide your survival. So I'm taking their advice. Rather than let the tsunami of stress swallow me whole, I'm going to calmly go with the flow. But first I need a plan of attack.
Today, when I was heading out to do some errands, I noticed quite a few women outside running, cycling, or just quietly enjoying the crisp fall air. And as I rushed around trying to get stuff done before the stores close for one whole day (GASP! A day without shopping, the world is going to end!!!!), I began to think about those women. They can't be that different from me. They probably have demanding jobs, families and schedules. Yet each one of them was able to find the time to do something they enjoy. So, the first part of my plan is to make sure I get some sort of "me" time in every single day. Whether it's a long soak in the tub, an hour of mind-numbing t.v. watching or a trip to the gym, I'm going to insist on that time.
The second, yet more difficult part of my plan is to "let go". My usual standards of cleanliness will have to be lowered. The 5 second rule will no longer apply to my house. From now on, if a cookie falls on the ground I'm just going to push aside and hope that one of the dust bunnies living under the couch picks it up. Rather than having a designated laundry day, I'll be encouraging my children to follow the "sniff it to see if its still good" rule. Teacher's college is only a one year program, the house can't get that dirty?????
I'll also have to learn to let go in the school department. As some of you might remember, I like to work on essays and assignments for hours, days, even weeks. However, due to the time constraints posed in teacher's college, I'll have to learn to give it my best shot the first time around. Unless I can somehow get through the next year on a few hours of sleep....hey, that might just work.
I happen to believe that I have a great sense of humor. Some of you may disagree (you obviously have not been around me after a couple of glasses of wild vines....good times), but hopefully most of you concur. Yet, after just one week of teacher's college, I feel like the funny has been sucked right out of me. I'm beat, worn down and totally done. If I didn't want to be a teacher so freakin bad, I'd throw in the towel!
For the past 3 years, while I worked on my undergrad, I never had a moment where I wanted to quit. Ok, well I might have had that thought at 3 am while working on an essay, but never within the first week of school. I couldn't wait to start learning and thinking. It frightens me that I was dreading teacher's college by day three.
My fellow students appear to be so much more in control. They nod in agreement when the profs say things like "metacognitive learning is a vital aspect of childhood education." My response....an embarrassing snort! On Tuesday, we were split into smaller groups to create a team cheer. While my colleagues choreographed a song and dance to Beyonce' "Single Ladies", I hit the proverbial brick wall. I couldn't even write down the words without shaking and I misspelled several words. I need to get my shit together and fast!
For the past 5 days, everyone who knows a thing or two about the faculty of Ed. program (i.e. professors, grads, the nice lady at the Timmies next to my school) would not shut up about how intense the program is. They also highly recommended that I say goodbyes now cause I won't be seeing any friends and family until at least Easter. They handed me the syllabus on Monday and after reading it over, I though 'gee, it's a lot of work but if I budget my time properly it is manageable.' Then I found out that this was the syllabus for only one of the SIX classes I've enrolled in. WTF?!?!?! To make us feel better, the professors quietly added that we (the pathetic students) were also responsible for submitting lesson plans and reflective journals every Friday. OMG!!!
I feel as if there is a tsunami heading straight for me and there isn't a darn thing I can do to stop it. My only chance for survival is to be 100% totally organized. So I've organized my binder, filled in my calendar and loaded up my Timmies quick-pay card; basically everything I think I can do to prepare. But will it be enough? Will I be strong enough to survive the metaphoric waves? Or will I just let them pull me under? I guess only time will tell.
