I must say I am quite flattered by the number of requests I have received to update my blog. I didn't realize I had such a crowd interested in the green budding stages of my teaching career. Hopefully, your interest won't dwindle as the monotony of school ensues. I will do my best to keep my posts interesting and tantalizing.
Well, at least interesting.
So, I survived the first week of school and I now have a newfound appreciation for three things:
1. Strong Coffee/Diet Coke
2. Band-Aids
3. The Weekend
I never knew how important all three of these were until last week. The coffee and Diet Coke are self-explanatory. There is not enough caffeine in all the world to keep up with the energy of middle schoolers. The band-aids became a staple in my everyday wardrobe as my blisters created blisters from my heels (Sidebar: Just as most young female teachers promise never to purchase a holiday or apple themed jean vest, I also promised myself to never purchase a pair of those awful, rubber-soled orthopedic looking teacher clogs. Instead, I opted for a brand called Softspots, the cutest brand I could find with the comfiest amount of support. Unfortunately, even those couldn't protect me from blisters.) And finally, the weekend. From sleeping in to being able to enjoy a night out with some of my favorite people, what would have before perhaps been an 'average' weekend, is now one I thoroughly enjoyed. Apologies to my friends on Friday though, I had a little trouble keeping my eyes open past 11 PM.
I'd love to go into detail about my day, my lessons and all my students, but even now, on Sunday night, as I scramble to plan out the last details of my Monday, I just don't have the energy. In summary, there's a big learning curve for new teachers, and a huge difference between student-teaching and the real deal. I spend a heck of a lot more time planning and fretting than ever before and am deathly afraid of failure. I think about teaching all day and worry about it all night.
I know I will "get into my groove" as they say, but right now I'm having a little trouble finding the rhythm.
(Okay, that metaphor was super cheesy...but I'm an english teacher, I have permission to do that!)
And while I'd love to end this post on that lonesome, brooding note, I'm going to end it by showing you all some pictures of my classroom. My roommate visited and had fun snapping and flashing at my school...
Welcome to my room!
The view if you stand at my doorway at the front of the room. My Beatles art and Andy Warhol picture with quote: "The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting."
My little corner of photos and happiness by my desk.
Some teachers would kill for even a tiny window, I have a ginormous one. Isn't it great?
Some pretty awesome posters I found online.
Schedule for the first 2 days.
An homage to my clothing idol, Emma Pillsbury. (Season 2 of Glee starts September 21st!)
5 comments:
Did you have a class in college to teach you how to write so neatly on a white board?
-Patrick M
as an english major, shouldn't you not be excused from using cheesy metaphors? ;-)
i was driving to school on the first day and saw a bunch of kids standing at a bus stop. instantly, i thought of you and hoped that you weren't freaking out as much as those kids were! the classroom looks awesome, and keep up the excellent posting.
You are one of the bravest people I know dear Maddie! I would be mortified beyond words to stand up in front of a class of prebuscent (and pubescent) boys and girls and make any kind of semblence of speaking coherently to them, much less teaching them anything. My voice would be shaky, squeaky, rattly, and I would no doubt be perceived as so totally like, you know, NOT cool. I'm awed by your accomplishments to date. Keep the blog coming.
Great pictures: what an amazing room with a view! I stopped wearing heels very early in my career and opted for comfy shoes: you don't realize how much time you spend on your feet as a teacher until the blisters appear :-) Looking forward to more enjoyable updates. We are all very proud of you.
Love love love!!!!! Seeing the handwriting and schedule on the board made it all the more real. So happy for you!!!
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