I can’t believe I have already been teaching for 15 years. One would think that by now I’ve experienced “it all”, but this year is the first time I have had a student teacher.
When I signed up to have a student teacher, I was hoping to be reenergized in my career. I was hoping to have new, fresh, current ideas on how to reach students. So far, it has been a little bit of that, but more of a reminder of how difficult this profession is to learn and how far I have come.
Watching my student teacher handle the daily grind made me wonder how I was just a “few” (15) years ago in the beginning of my career. I was able to locate my student teaching weekly journals. While reading through these, I was reminded of a few things: 1) I have come so far!, 2) I have always been very intuitive about teaching - even back then, and 3) teaching is a rollercoaster.
Here are some of the highlights from my journal. I chose these because they seem to be universal feelings of teaching regardless of the grade, community, or students we teach.
…And to think this is my CONSOLIDATED list!!! This just goes to show how many emotions much we teachers go through in the span of a few months.
When I signed up to have a student teacher, I was hoping to be reenergized in my career. I was hoping to have new, fresh, current ideas on how to reach students. So far, it has been a little bit of that, but more of a reminder of how difficult this profession is to learn and how far I have come.
Watching my student teacher handle the daily grind made me wonder how I was just a “few” (15) years ago in the beginning of my career. I was able to locate my student teaching weekly journals. While reading through these, I was reminded of a few things: 1) I have come so far!, 2) I have always been very intuitive about teaching - even back then, and 3) teaching is a rollercoaster.
Here are some of the highlights from my journal. I chose these because they seem to be universal feelings of teaching regardless of the grade, community, or students we teach.
- I have graded a lot of tests/quizzes this week which as made me realize the nuisance of “partial credit”.
- I have so many ideas to use for this unit, but I know there will not be enough time and not enough motivation by the students.
- I think it may be a challenge to keep a balance, but I also realize that is a challenge for all teaching.
- Yesterday I was “scolded” by my cooperating teacher. She was upset at me for showing a student another way of doing a problem. She said I had “undermined her authority and embarrassed her.”
- Some students took this assignment seriously while others blew it off as much as possible. I don’t want to make any prejudgments, but I think that this could be some indication as to what type of students I have in my classes.
- All I ask is that students work with me instead of against me.
- The “incident” with my cooperating teacher that occurred earlier in the week seems to have dissipated. She does not seem to beholding a grudge against me, and she told my supervisor how much she has been enjoying my company.
- Once I took my students to the library I ran into several problems. So needless to say my plan for the day was shot.
- To say the least, I was more flexible than the students.
- This class continues to amaze me. They are so lazy, give up so easily, and do not know how to follow directions.
- A girl came into class crying.
- They complain all the time! You would think I was asking them to save the world they way they complain about doing work.
- It was really neat to see the students outside the classroom in their own element.
- There was a water main break so there was no water to the building. Water did not come back until 9th period.
- I had a student argue with me about how math is not her main priority in life and that is why she hasn’t’ gotten her assignments completed.
- The parents blamed everything on the teacher. They never once considered that maybe their daughter was into some trouble.
- Today in class everything was great.
- At the staff meeting they discussed dates for the rest of the year, smokers in the bathrooms, marking tardies, class elections, field trips, a possible field day, etc.
- This assembly challenged me once again to be flexible.
- Today I woke up with no voice but somehow had to still teach. The class who I anticipated would be the worst was actually the most helpful.
- Today I saw first hand what these standardized tests does to the kids.
- A kid threw up in class today.
- I went to graduation. It was sad to see seniors who weren’t going to graduate with their class.
- By the looks on their faces, it looked like it meant something to my students that I went to their gradation.
…And to think this is my CONSOLIDATED list!!! This just goes to show how many emotions much we teachers go through in the span of a few months.
How many of these can YOU relate to?