Date: 1/9/11
Hello Supportive, Wonderful Friends and Family:
Wow, what a week this has been. It’s hard to believe that just a week ago I was home with my family and unwinding from my last set of finals! Once we got back to Nashville, everything started back in a whirlwind. Monday and Tuesday were spent in Seminar, which basically means that from 8:30-3 we got to hear about the things we have spent the past 2 ½ years studying. One helpful thing that did come out of this was about job hunting. There is a job fair for teachers on Feb. 8 and over 100 school districts will be there. This means that in less than a month I start applying for jobs! Ahh!!! So keep that in your prayers please!!! I would love to have a job lined up before graduation if that’s what the Lord has in mind for me. (Graduation is May 7 by the way J )
On that note, I will be the only undergrad graduate that will be certified to teach ELL. I will be certified K-6 as well as K-12 ELL. Let’s pray I don’t get a job teaching high school ELL please! But K-2 ELL would be wonderful! (ELL is English Language Learners for those that are unfamiliar.) This is my area of passion and I pray the Lord sends me there.
Well for student teaching, I have 2 placements. The first, where I am now, is a 5th grade Language Arts, Reading, and Social Studies class. I’m at Thurgood Marshall Middle School which is 5th-8th grade. There are 300 5th graders here. I only have to learn the names of 45 of them though. While I have never wanted to teach 5th grade, I am now surrounded by them all day every day. Some of the kids are sweethearts but most are not as charming. This first week took me back to when I was 5th grade and I have to say, I didn’t like it then either J Luckily, we have not covered anything that I can’t remember how to do. That’s why I didn’t want a math or science class- not my best subjects.
My teacher has been wonderful and she is very conscious of the fact that I need lots of help from her in getting to know the kids and the school. Since I went to very small schools, being in a school with almost 1100 middle schoolers has been a little overwhelming. She has been great though. She is easing me into things and letting me grade papers and do lots of organizational things (which I love!!) while I observe her teaching styles. I do have a very different teaching style than she does so it will be interesting to see how that plays out as I take a bigger role in the class.
On a funny note, it was Friday before anyone told me (to my face at least) that I looked like a middle school student. I thought for sure it would take longer than that ;) However, it was the assistant principal who said it! I think it’s just because most of the kids are taller than I am, but I can hold my own in the classroom. I saw some of the 8th graders Friday and begged my teacher not to ever send me upstairs (where 8th grade has class). These boys had to be at least 6 feet tall and they looked like linebackers! They were HUGE!!!! I don’t know how well I would do in a class full of that haha. I’d be scared to death!!
Overall, this first week has been a huge learning experience. I have already gotten experience in dealing with parents, forgetfulness, the evilness of lockers, 5th grade clumsiness, and the immaturity of 5th grade boys. And that was all in the first 3 days J I experienced Friday afternoon exhaustion, distraction by snow flurries, frustration at lack of effort (by the students), and anticipation of snow days. Just think how much I will learn by the time this is all over!
(Not all posts will be this long. But I had to get going with 1st one!!)
Thanks for reading. Keep me and my students in your prayers this week. God bless!
~Les~
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