5 Things

Hola. It's your favorite school teacher here to prove that I'm still surviving.

Actually, week two is going okay. So I don't really have much to complain about. Except my need for extra hours in the day. In fact, let's go into exactly what I would do with more hours in the day...

5 Things I Would Do With More Hours in the Day

1. SLEEP!!! My pillow is giving me longing looks every time I walk into the room. My pajamas beg me to wear them. And I'm pretty sure the weeping I hear is my brain begging me for mercy.
2. Clean. My classroom that is. I didn't get to go through everything that was in there before school started. So I'm doing without some transparencies and posters that lessons are calling for. I'm making my own stuff as needed, but it would be really nice to know where everything is.
3. Plan. If I could just get ahead on lesson plans, I would be able to have a little more time. I know I'll get ahead at some point, but sooner would be much preferable to later.
4. Relax. I miss hubby. We haven't gone to a movie in a while. He got to go to one with my brother today. I miss those weekday movie trips.
5. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Veg. Read a book. Take a nap. All of the above. I know they probably count as relaxing, but I'm giving them their own category.

I know I probably sound like a MASSIVE whiner. But y'all have to know I'm not totally serious. I do like what I'm doing. Is it stressful? HECK yes. But it'll get better. My bestie promised me that you catch up and get ahead and it gets better from there. And she said her second year has been easier. So I'm sure I'll be fine.

But if you do find a way to get some extra hours in the day, send me your time machine. :)

Filler

Time-filler, space-filler... whatev.

I'm working on my portfolio for my exit interview tomorrow. Thrilling?

No.

I have to put all this stuff together and then go into a room tomorrow and present someone with my binder and talk about myself for an hour.

You're thinking, "Oh, talking about yourself for an hour should be easy."

No. It has to apply to student teaching. And teaching. It's not like I can talk about how excited I was to wear the particular outfit I'm wearing tomorrow*. Or how I was super stoked to have strawberries in my Cheerios at breakfast**.

I know it will be easy, but I'm feeling hormonal and that makes me not look forward to it. Whatevs. I'll get through it then go pick up some paperwork so I can get a job. Then I'll come home and probably fill out said paperwork. Or catch up on soap operas. Who knows?

*And yes, I totally have my outfit planned. Have had it planned for a few days now. Super cute. Trendy, but still teacherly.

**And yes, I've been saving the strawberries to have in my multigrain Cheerios tomorrow. Because that's the best EVAR! And I thought it would be nice before an interview.

Holy crap

Yeah, that's the only title for this post. I finally stayed home today, my wonkiness got to be too much. I've had a headache for three days now, have not wanted to eat at all, when I do eat I feel yucky, and I'm just all around exhausted. There's no fever, so I don't know what it is. But I finally took the day off.

So I'm sitting this afternoon, on my couch, doing nothing, and the principal at the school I'm at calls. She asked how I was doing and then told me she talked to her boss (remember the post from way back in September about the big visit and the guy who watched me teach a lesson?). Her boss asked about me (!!!) and said he was going to have some job openings and wanted to know if I was interested! So my principal gives me his number and tells me to call him in a few minutes, after she calls him back. I wait and try to mentally prepare myself for whatever might come.

So I call, and he's asking how it's going and what the status is on everything I need to get my credential. Thankfully we just got told all the important dates and stuff last week so I was able to tell him when I'll get my scores, when my exit interview is, and when my credential should be ready. So after telling him all of this, he tells me that there are several upper grade (5th or 6th grade) openings available. Like, as soon as I'm done! He told me the schools, and what's funny is I used to work at one of them. So we get some information down and get off the phone. I call my mom, super stoked. Then my other line starts ringing and it's him again. He got the okay to schedule interviews for me with the principals of the two schools!

I could actually have a real job in January!!!!

So now I just have to get all my paperwork together. I have class tomorrow at the university, so I'm going to go to my old advisor and ask him to help me prepare. But OMG! I'm dying, right now. So keep me in mind over the next month or so. I'm excited, but I'm also kinda scared right now.

Why do I want to be a teacher?

This may be some heavy reading for today, but I felt like writing it.

I've been asked what makes me want to be a teacher more times than I can count. Short version: it's something that I feel like I've been called to do.

I've actually had one jackass look at me and say, "But you won't make any money." Um, duh. But that's not why I'm in it.

I grew up the oldest in my family, including the grandkids. So I already knew I could manage kids younger than me. In second grade I had a student teacher who I loved. I thought she was cool, pretty and young. And she had fun with us! I totally wanted to do that. Then as I grew up I started tutoring and eventually got a job with an after school program. That's when I figured out that I had classroom control. I finally got into Fresno Pacific and here I am in my last semester of the credential program.

That's a seriously short version, but I don't want to have you sitting here all day.

And you know what? I won't be rich. But I don't care. Ultimately I want sixth graders. They're impressionable. And even though they won't let on, they're still vulnerable. I'm in a sixth grade classroom right now and the teacher has at least one student every week come back to see her. I want to be that teacher. I want students to remember me years later and see what I did as something important. I want to be able to make a difference.

That's way more important than driving an expensive car and having a second home on the beach.

Teaching update

Still loving student teaching. Had some needless mini-drama that doesn't need to be covered. But it was little, and I had people on my side.

Love my master teacher so much! She's awesome. I'm totally learning stuff from her. And I present my first lesson with my mentor in the room tomorrow. Totally ready for it.

I'm feelin' a blog soon about why I want to be a teacher. Because I've actually had a moron ask me why more than once. And because it's something to be blogged about.

And no, it isn't only because of the summer vacations.