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.