I've been here a little over a week now! This thought is completely crazy to me! I don't know if it's because my days have been crammed with session after session and my brain is overflowing with information. Or because I'm here, on a college campus with a bunch of strangers which forces us to build relationships faster than normal. It's probably a combination of the two, with other ingredients mixed in. But, it definitely feels like I've been here longer than a week- it feels more like I've been here a couple months.
I found out this week that I will not be teaching 4th Grade Math as I originally thought. Instead I will be teaching Kindergarten. And I am stoked!!! In all honesty, it took me a minute to process this information and how I felt about the change. Kindergartners are reliant on the teacher for everything it seems. But, I got to talk to my TFA Advisor (another Kindergarten teacher at the school where I'll be working this fall- Hello new best friend!) and she told me how rewarding it is to see how much growth there is during the Kindergarten year. Plus, let's be real- they'll appreciate my love of Disney more than older kids (Yea, for having Disney Pandora to welcome us each morning)! Since then I have been so excited about all of it- decorating my classroom, meeting my kids (calling them MY kids- I don't even know who they are and they're already mine), pouring into them, finding out what their dreams are- letting them know that when they work hard, they can achieve those dreams, seeing their progress throughout the year, getting hugs every morning, finding fun ways to teach- all the really fun stuff that comes along with being a Kindergarten teacher.
But in order to bring all of that fun stuff to fruition, it requires the dreaded lesson plan. And to write a Lesson Plan, you need a Unit Plan (which, at least for the summer is given to us- Hallelujah!) And to write any of this you need a vision for your classroom. I spent a whole day working on a classroom vision, and hours upon hours working on one Lesson Plan. Throw in a couple breakdowns and a handful of shed tears and I quickly came to the conclusion that Lesson Plans are of the Devil. But, of course, it's not the Lesson Plans themselves that I hate so much- it's the process of learning how to think in a new way. I keep reminding myself that others have done this. Are doing it now, and doing it well- I can do this!
And, as if my week wasn't stressful enough, I accidentally went to the wrong session. Not only did I miss needed information but I spent two hours learning about and taking detailed notes on something that I won't use. Fantastic. But, because of this mishap, there was a significant period of time yesterday when the TFA powers-to-be thought that I was a missing person. I became very popular as TFA tried to track me down. Good to know they're looking out for me. It was good comic relief from my stressful day.
As I continue on this journey, I find it super easy to get caught up in the business that has become my days, and harder to carve out time to spend with God. But I cling to Him and treasure the moments I do get to spend with Him because I know that I simply won't survive this without being able to lean fully on Him.
I found out this week that I will not be teaching 4th Grade Math as I originally thought. Instead I will be teaching Kindergarten. And I am stoked!!! In all honesty, it took me a minute to process this information and how I felt about the change. Kindergartners are reliant on the teacher for everything it seems. But, I got to talk to my TFA Advisor (another Kindergarten teacher at the school where I'll be working this fall- Hello new best friend!) and she told me how rewarding it is to see how much growth there is during the Kindergarten year. Plus, let's be real- they'll appreciate my love of Disney more than older kids (Yea, for having Disney Pandora to welcome us each morning)! Since then I have been so excited about all of it- decorating my classroom, meeting my kids (calling them MY kids- I don't even know who they are and they're already mine), pouring into them, finding out what their dreams are- letting them know that when they work hard, they can achieve those dreams, seeing their progress throughout the year, getting hugs every morning, finding fun ways to teach- all the really fun stuff that comes along with being a Kindergarten teacher.
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| I got to see my classroom this week y'all. This is MY classroom- great things will happen here! |
But in order to bring all of that fun stuff to fruition, it requires the dreaded lesson plan. And to write a Lesson Plan, you need a Unit Plan (which, at least for the summer is given to us- Hallelujah!) And to write any of this you need a vision for your classroom. I spent a whole day working on a classroom vision, and hours upon hours working on one Lesson Plan. Throw in a couple breakdowns and a handful of shed tears and I quickly came to the conclusion that Lesson Plans are of the Devil. But, of course, it's not the Lesson Plans themselves that I hate so much- it's the process of learning how to think in a new way. I keep reminding myself that others have done this. Are doing it now, and doing it well- I can do this!
And, as if my week wasn't stressful enough, I accidentally went to the wrong session. Not only did I miss needed information but I spent two hours learning about and taking detailed notes on something that I won't use. Fantastic. But, because of this mishap, there was a significant period of time yesterday when the TFA powers-to-be thought that I was a missing person. I became very popular as TFA tried to track me down. Good to know they're looking out for me. It was good comic relief from my stressful day.
As I continue on this journey, I find it super easy to get caught up in the business that has become my days, and harder to carve out time to spend with God. But I cling to Him and treasure the moments I do get to spend with Him because I know that I simply won't survive this without being able to lean fully on Him.
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