Today was the first day with the kids and let me tell you, it was amazing. One would think that I'd be really nervous, but actually, it all felt completely natural. Sure it was a little disorienting to be back in front of a bunch of little people, but it felt like such a natural place to be. That alone tells me I'm in the right place.
I had very little anxiety all day, except when it came time to take the kids to the bus. They were running in all different directions. The bus that was late did not help anything, especially for the kindergarteners that had no idea where they were and for the 1st grader that couldn't find his brother. Thank goodness that my kiddos knew what to do. For all you kindergarten teachers out there that deal with that every single day of every school year - you're amazing. Keep rocking those little kids' worlds.
So, as an overview for the day, I had door duty before school, helped escort my kiddos to and from the assembly, watched them practice their school-wide expectations, hurried through my homemade lunch (consisting of a pb&j and pretzels), monitored their writing assignment, read aloud, dismissed them to their buses, and attended a staff meeting. It was a crazy, busy day, but it was absolutely amazing. My kids were really well behaved and seem like a really great group of kids. I am looking forward to getting to know them better and find ways to make their learning a little more worthwhile.
I'm so glad to be back in a classroom (with children in it, that is). I was so involved in my practicum experiences last spring and it's been a strange experience not being in a classroom for the past few months. I suppose that is why I'm so excited about being back. Sure, I know how stressed I will be once I am not just observing. But quite honestly, that stress will only help me become a better teacher and person. If there is one thing I was to get out of my student teaching, that's it.
I'm surprised at myself because I've almost completely memorized the kids' names. While this doesn't take me very long to begin with, it almost always takes at least two days. I've got almost all of them by the end of day one, which, by the way, was an hour shorter than the typical day.
I'm also having a lot of fun getting to know the other teachers in my 'team'. For those that have no clue what I'm talking about, a 'team' is a group of teachers all teaching the same grades. My case, there are 5 team members in my team. They work very well together, whether they are coordinating their days, lessons, and recess duties, making sure that everyone has enough materials, and/or offering support. I'm also looking forward to getting to know them, too. They are really great people. Fortunately, I have found a Cornell connection in one of them. :)
If there is one thing I've learned over the course of the past four days, it's that I've got a lot to learn. It is absolutely amazing to me how much teachers know, remember, and are able to rattle off in a very short amount of time, with great detail, might I add. They know the curriculum so well they can rattle on about it for ten minutes without a problem. They can explain in great detail the ins and outs of four different formal assessments and still manage to keep them all straight (as of yet, many of them are still completely blurred in my mind). Last night, as I was reading, the phrase "love surpasses knowledge" struck me. I already have a love of teaching that reaches the depths of my soul. Right now, my knowledge is seriously lacking. While I know that the knowledge I intend to gain will never reach the love that I have of teaching, I would like to at least try to balance the scale a little bit.
And last but not least, probably the best part of my day (how ever silly and cliche it is), was when a young girl walked in carrying two apples for her teachers. One for my cooperating teacher and the other for me.
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