EMBRACE CHANGE!

This week was definitely a week revolving around change; change in school, setting, and grade. I managed to leap from 12th to 6th grade in one weekend!

The setting at Nathan Bishop is very welcoming. This is the first school where I now eat with other teachers. I like to think this will be the school that helps me learn how to collaborate and communicate with my colleagues. This school is also going to be a huge change for me due to the timing of the periods. Coming from 88 minute block periods is one of the first jumps I will need to master; I now have about 50 minutes with each of my classes. Who gets anything done in 50 minutes?

The second jump I will need to make has to do with the grade I am teaching; I am now a 6th grade English teacher. I already know that this will be the biggest challenge for the rest of my student teaching experience. My classroom management was made easy with my last group of students because they were seniors. One look at my seniors and they knew I meant business. Now, I need to change my entire outlook on classroom management. I'm willing to make that change, however, I'm not one for raising my voice or yelling. I've already had a few moments this past week. My CT already has me leading classroom discussions and readings and I think is it extremely helpful. I know she is doing it so I can begin showing my voice to the students. It will make for an easier transition when I take over all 3 of her 6th grade classes.

I'm both excited and slightly nervous about my second part of student teaching. I know the next few weeks will be considered my assessment as a teacher. Yes, I had a voice in the high school, however, the students were older and had a mature respect for me. I now need to teach respect to my classes. They are at the age where respect needs to be taught and modeled.

This placement is also crucial for both the teacher and the student because it is the grade and age where students begin to form "good" and "bad" habits in school. What the students display next year will be a direct reflection on me as a person and a teacher. I consider that to be a huge anxiety builder and a large amount of pressure on my shoulders.

The only thing I can do over the next six weeks is not let them see me sweat, stick to my plan, and use my voice.
Challenge ACCEPTED!