It has been a while since I posted and that's because my life has been super crazy lately! I found out last Friday morning that the kindergarten teacher had gone into labor and that I needed to take over her class this week. I was very excited, but a bit overwhelmed, if you can imagine. Her due date was October 2 and the original plan was that I would be spending Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week with her so that I could learn the class routines and get ready for when I would take over her class. Guess you just can't plan for everything when it comes to having a baby!
Luckily, I had been observing her class for about 45 minutes each day and I had them in the computer lab, so I already knew which ones to watch out for. I just had NO idea how bad they could be. Wednesday was absolutely awful! They were definitely testing me and by the time I dropped them off at the library at 1:15, I was exhausted. One of my teacher friends asked me how I was doing and the tears just started streaming down my face. I felt like the worst teacher. Thankfully, I got a lot of support and the others reminded me that sometimes they have days like that even after they've been teaching for years. One of my co-teachers came to talk to my class that afternoon and WOW did she ever put some fear into them! Then yesterday another teacher friend spent the morning with me and my class and helped me with some ideas for what could work. The rest of the week went a little bit better and I think I'll be more prepared for this coming week. I've certainly learned some names that I will NOT be using for my children. I told Tim if we don't hurry up that I'll be out of names!
It has been awesome having my "own" classroom and getting such a great experience! I will be teaching them until January, so I will be a pretty big part of their kindergarten experience. What I didn't expect was how many hours I would be putting in to this!! I spent an average of 10-11 hours at school each day and brought some work home on top of that. I don't think I've every been so physically tired, but so far it's worth it! I get hugs every day and several kids tell me they love me. I have an Ian in class and he is adorable. He asked me the other day if it would be ok for him to bring me an apple. How sweet is that?!
Well, I have many more stories that I could share, but I'm too worn out right now. More to come, I'm sure! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
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3 comments:
I bet you're an awesome teacher. :-) I will say it doesn't get much easier. I was exhausted after this week and I have work to do OVER THE WEEKEND. Meh. But you're right, there are other benefits. My kids don't hug me, but they tell me they love me in their own teenage way.
i'm glad you are enjoying things, even if it is tiring. miss you!!
What a great experience you are getting! This time with the kids will not only look great when you're trying to get hired full-time, but it's a great way to know what you're getting into.
Teaching is the hardest job (next to being a stay-at-home-mom) that I've ever had. And it's great training for that "hardest" job. :)
-Daisha
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