Time

Time.  Time goes by quickly, even though some days may seem that is crawling by.  Here I am, finding myself at the end of the third week at this new school.  In 7 weeks I will be lining up with my fellow student teachers and preparing to enter the “real world.”  Looking back at this week, though, I am also happy with how much we were able to accomplish as a class, despite the days of frustration and moments where it seems we are simply moving backwards.  Time has been a blessing, a frustration, but ultimately a reality I am learning to accept as it chooses to come and go. 

This week was a long week for me.  Many things happened, many changes took place, and I now feel as though I have settled into the routine day to day activities with the students.  I am finding myself searching for ways to change the normal day routine almost selfishly as a way to entertain myself and my paraprofessional, while finding new activities to try and engage my students in.  I do not see this as a bad thing, however, but rather as an opportunity to explore what works and what doesn’t.  My cooperating teacher has given me a freedom to give just about anything a try. 

I began a unit on Lewis and Clark this week.  While much of the content is above the students heads, my teacher and I both agree that it is still important that the students be exposed to the information.  To learn this content, I have taken the students on an outdoor exploration to color picture of sights and sounds we encounter, have done some interactive map work, and have tried to teach them about a compass and directions.  From day to day I use informal assessments to find out if any of the knowledge is sticking.  One of the students seems to understand while the rest are not too certain.  I do find myself trying to fight the defeatist attitude that occasionally creeps up inside, but changing my focus has helped immensely.  If at first you don’t succeed, try try again, right? 

This week was also an up and down week for me emotionally.  I spent much time reflecting on how emotions, though often perceived as a bad and distracting part of the human life, really are what makes teaching worthwhile and enjoyable.  The ups and downs of emotion are what make us human, and rather than seeing this as a distraction, I have tried to find ways to view emotion as an asset to my teaching.  I have tried to use the feelings that I have about the day in such a way that it motivates and inspires my energy that I take into the classroom and into my lessons.  Granted, this doesn’t work the way I hope it will all of the time, but I still think its beneficial to give it a try.

So as this week has drawn to a close and a new one lurks right around the corner, I can honestly say I’m looking forward to the end.  While there is still much time left, I understand that time runs its course at a consistent pace, and nothing I can do will change this.  I am excited to get away from student teaching and find myself in my own classroom with my own students.  However, I continue to see this placement as an opportunity to try, explore, experiment, and experience as much as is possible.  Attitude is everything, and it is with a positive attitude and an optimistic outlook that I close this week.