Underway

First week of student teaching? CHECK!

It's the quarter that I have been hearing about for 4 years. That I have been preparing for, getting scared about, and stressing over. And, its finally underway! I. AM. PUMPED!

Because my excitement completely hinders me from writing anything cohesive, here's a list of random things from the first week:

1) So far, I am loving the school that I am working in. 

They have basically thrown me in to the teacher role, complete with teacher email address, parking spot, and access to online grade books. I am so in!

The teachers I am working with are also great. Like I explained here, I am working with both a Math teacher (we'll call him Mr. S, for anonymity's sake) and a Spanish teacher (Sra. C) at the same time. I spend the morning in Mr. S's Algebra and Geometry classes and the afternoon in Sra. C's Spanish II and III classes. All of my favorite subjects in everyday!

2) As you can see, when I start taking over classes, I will have 4 preps. 

That is teacher mumbo-jumbo for four sets of lesson plans and materials every day. That's a whole freaking lot. Most teachers in this school only have 3. And, I've never done this full-time before! I'm hoping that my hyper-organizational tendencies will help me out with this one. 

NOT my organizational style. (source)

3) 5:30am is really freaking early. 

I have to be at school before 7:32, so I aim for 7:20. With the hour commute and the time it takes to get myself out of bed and ready to go, it's a 5:30 alarm every morning. It's rough. I eat my breakfast during the drive which helps keep me awake, but I feel like I'm struggling to keep my eyes open all day long. 

NOT cool. (source)

4) Speaking of staying awake, actually teaching is waaaay better than just observing. 

I spent the first few days watching how the teachers do their daily thang. It helps me get acclimated to their classrooms and the students behavior. It also is a recipe for drowsiness. I found myself standing or walking around the room just to keep myself from falling asleep in my chair. As I got more involved in the classes (taking attendance, offering answers to questions, doing and impromptu review activity with Spanish III), I became more energetic and the classes went by so much faster. 

5) I get another Spring Break this week!

The school is off for their SB this week, so I am off the hook. 2 weeks of in one season? I'll totally take that. Although, it does mean that I am missing out on a week of experience. Pros and cons to every situation.

6) I will start teaching the monday after SB!

At least, one class. Spanish II, which is 3 periods. I am hitting the ground running by taking over all three periods at once. I will slowly phase into the other classes by picking up the math and other Spanish class every few days. I am chomping at the bit! Let's change some lives.

Overall, this experience is going to be like putting all of my other field experiences from the last 4 years together into one crazy, packed quarter. I know I am going to feel overwhelmed, but if I stay organized an don top of things, don't let my physical health go by the the wayside, and get enough sleep, I know I can knock it out of the park! The more time I spend in the classroom, the more I realize that this is definitely what I am supposed to be doing. This eases some of the terror of my impending graduation and entrance into that thing they call the "real world". Let's get out there and shape some minds!

Here's to kicking a$$ this quarter!

~ Rach