Well, I'm now two weeks into my student teaching (note the use of my lovely student teaching picture here), and I think it's about time to post something about it, don't you? I'm not really sure what my aversion to posting has been lately (although it could have something to do with the brain death that occurs lately whenever I open a blank document. Can anyone say senioritis?)I've now been teaching all day, every day, for three days, and I'm here to tell you that it is harder than it looks. Lesson planning is intimidating, classroom management has NO rhyme or reason for success (at least not yet), and making assignments requires all kinds of thought that I sometimes don't consider until I've already given the assignment. Sorry kids! I'll do better next time!
And I'm tired. I have never been a morning person, and getting to bed at a decent hour has proved itself to be nigh unto impossible some nights. The afternoon nap is my very best friend. (In fact, I think I'll visit it as soon as I finish this post!)
Things that I've learned from 7th and 8th graders:
- Once you put it on paper, it is perfect and untouchable. You dare not revise, for you just may destroy a work of unadulterated genius.
- The exclamation mark is a noble piece of punctuation that should be used often. You cannot have too many exclamation marks after something exciting, and The End should always be punctuated with at least 8 or 9.
- Capitalization is optional at the beginning of sentences, but is always a viable way of adding emphasis to any word.
- "But I have a question" is always an acceptable reason for being out of one's seat, and even if the teacher is talking to another student, your personal emergency must be addressed immediately. It can't even wait until the end of the other student's sentence.
- It's always someone else's fault. Always.
- Lines that are clearly sublime pieces of literature to the average human being are probably gross. For example, from William Ernest Henley's "Invictus" : "My head is bloody, but unbowed." Gross. (Also, today I told them to read the poem with me, with gusto. The same girl who had issues with the above line said, "EW!" Um . . . yes. She was okay when I explained that "gusto" was not something dirty, nor did it relate to a bodily function.)
- No matter what your performance was, you always deserve a motivational Starburst. (Today I told a kid to get out his assignment four times and then started giving Starbursts to the kids who were working. He asked if he could have one and then was confused when I said no. Yesterday another kid asked if he could have one after I'd been passing them out for comments on the book we were reading. "No." "But I talked!" "Yes, while I was reading to the class. Get out of here.")
- "Stay in your seat" (rule four) applies to everyone but you.
- Even if you just barely got to class, it's a good idea to ask to use the hall pass to go to the bathroom. Even if you just came from lunch.
I wish I could remember all of the funny stories for you, but I come home and my brain just kind of melts. I'll post more as it comes.
Also, if you read any of the blog links on the side, you should note that I just added Aaron's blog -and did I mention Makayla's? Both are worth checking out.
