Someone asked me, "How do you do all of this and have a young family?" I am used to hearing people say, "Do you ever sleep?" Yes, I sleep. In fact, I need at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Rest is important for me to function at full speed as well as for my recovering brain. It's a fair question. When I was a beginning teacher, I would arrive at school early in the morning and stay there until past dinner. Then, most nights I was doing work at home before bed. It would've been really difficult for me to be an excellent teacher if I were just now starting with littles at home (not to say that others who are just starting and have littles at home can't be excellent teachers, just that it would've been hard for ME). But due to that hard (and likely unhealthy) work back then, I have a lot of strategies in my teacher tool kit and many resources to pull from. I also spend an hour each day in the summer working on resources that will help me durin...
Today is a day of firsts; first day back after the long Christmas break (we had a snow day yesterday), first day of my new blog, and first day with my new student teacher. I remember my days as a student teacher and how terrifying the first day was. In fact how terrifying every day was. Starting something new is scary and it takes courage to stand up in front of a group of 9 year olds and try to teach them day in and day out when you've never done it before. I tried tirelessly to create lessons that were engaging, fun, and exciting for my group of students. I wanted to be confident I wanted to teach them and see them grow. I was a disaster. In fact, I was so much of a disaster that my cooperating teacher encourage me to pursue another career field. She simply told me this is not for you (looking back, I understand why she thought that- I had ZERO classroom management and my 'out of the box', energetic lessons sometimes got out of control). Because she was a veteran teacher and and in my eyes an expert in the field, I took her advice and enrolled in the graduate program at Georgia Southern University in the field of sport management. I guessed teaching wasn't for me. Long story short I ended back in teaching and this is my 14th year in the profession. Last year I was chosen as one of the 12 finalists for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year and in 2013 I was chosen as the Prince William County Elementary Teacher of the Year in Northern Virginia. So today on my way to school, I'm reminding myself of the nervousness and anxiety that comes with the first day and every day of a student teaching experience. I hope to fill my student teacher with knowledge about teaching and ways she can reach students. I hope to also learn from my student teacher as she has so much to offer to me in return. I enjoy seeing the excitement on new teachers faces, the desire to reach students, and the drive and energy it takes to be successful in this profession. Today is a day of firsts; it's going to be a good day!
Congratulations on starting your blog! The perspective you have from your own experiences, along with your passion for creating great experiences for your students, is going to be a blessing for your new student teacher. As Yoda said in The Last Jedi, "We are what they grow beyond." Looking forward to future posts!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your support, Mike! If I can help, support, or inspire even ONE person, this blog will have been worth it.
DeleteCould not have been placed with a better teacher! So excited to learn from you. Going to be an awesome 8 weeks :)
ReplyDeleteAww, you're sweet. Now everyone knows who my student teacher is when I write about her in future blog posts. HA!
DeleteLove! You are such an amazing and inspiring person. So glad to have you as my role model in life. ❤
ReplyDeleteStephanie
Aww, thanks lady! Love you, too.
DeleteYou are a rock star!!! Way to start your blog. Can't wait to read more!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your positivity and support. To date, I've just posted my 3rd blog post (sad face), but it's my goal for this school year to blog more often (happy face). :)
Delete