I'm just putting the final touches on tomorrow's rewritten LP - the goals have been expanded to include finding the main idea of a passage as well as paraphrasing - and I'm thinking how exhausted I am and how I wonder if I can get in bed before 2 tonight after this morning's fiasco, when I missed my alarm and woke up an hour late, unprepared, with the printer in my dorm both broken and out of paper, and I look at the clock and realize - it is only 11 pm. And I am already this tired.
Today was more of a challenge than I thought. I was thinking that because I'd only be administering a diagnostic, not actually teaching a lesson, that it would be kind of a wasted day for me, in terms of lessons in being a teacher. I was not, of course, anticipating a variety of challenges ranging from a lack of motivation to honest belief in the inevitability of failure to general goofballness. I was also not expecting to have to stand my ground so firmly on Day One, nor to find my Teacher Voice, as though not a part of me, somehow delivering effortlessly the words "That kind of language is unacceptable in this classroom and I do not expect to hear it again. Now you need to work on your diagnostic. Thank you," in such a way that "Thank you" are the most forceful words. I especially did not expect this to work.
So there you have it. I am really, honestly a teacher now. I will be grading essays on the bus in the morning, all I have to talk about is my classes and my kids, and I have been exhausted since three this afternoon. This will be my life for the next three to five years, with only summer breaks between.
I hope to post more these next couple of days, but if things keep on keepin' on, I'm not sure I can promise anything. In the meantime, please do note that my sister has established a little bloggin' action of her own, to add to the international flavor of this neighborhood.
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3 comments:
A couple of things.
First off, great stuff today. I know that sometimes it can be difficult to engage your students from day one and invest them in the big goal, but I saw some terrific things. Way to establish nice tone from the beginning -- respectful, but definitely showing that you were the teacher. I like how you set clear behavior expectations and that you followed through with them when reminding students to use appropriate language.
Now, a delta: anticipation. Be ready for students to show no motivation whatsoever when taking exams. Make sure you can convince them of why it is important that they take it seriously. Everything you ask them to do ought to have a reason attached, and it must be one that they will be motivated by. Remember: goals should be measurable and student-centered.
Also, it sounds like you need more sleep. Make sure you take time for yourself to rest. We realize at TFA how important sleep is. Go ahead and go to bed before midnight one night this week. We are giving you a pass to do this.
What's that? Can you turn in a lesson plan a day late so that you can get a little sleep after Learning Teams tonight? No, that's not allowed. Yes, you have a pass, but all your work must still be completed on time...
I am sorry, but you are pure evil.
And how can your closing ceremonies possibly be tomorrow? I have been in the classroom for *three days.*
My only regret is that I'm not there to read it to you in my CMA's voice. It was an exact replica of everything he ever said to me.
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