When you signed up for student teaching
You had no idea you would be taking three extra classes
Forcing you to spend six hours a day doing homework
When you signed up for student teaching
You had no idea your CT would hand over all responsibilities
Saying only “Be ready to teach tomorrow, Dear”
When you signed up for student teaching
You had no idea you would have five, yes five, preps
Causing you to break out all over from stress
When you signed up for student teaching
You had no idea the worst kid in school would be in your
class
Setting a new threshold of patience each and every day
When you signed up for student teaching
You had no idea stress would become a constant companion
Leaving you to wonder what days without it felt like
When you signed up for student teaching
You had no idea you would spend so much time away from your
family
Making the time you do spend with them much more precious
When you signed up for student teaching
You had no idea you would be telling yourself “It’ll all be
over soon”
Convincing yourself it will all be worth it in May
When you signed up for student teaching
You had no idea telling yourself “if it happens, let it happen”
would become a necessity
Allowing yourself to relax during what you think is the most
challenging semester of your life
When you signed up for student teaching
You had no idea all that your students could teach you
Causing you to wonder just how much more you have left to learn
Wow--thank you for this piece, Denisse. The frustration, the anxiety, the will to survive, the glimmer of hope for your students and your positive interactions with them. I love how these things coalesce in this piece.
ReplyDeleteMy hope is that we can ease some of the stress for you ... you have a lot on your shoulders right now. We'll keep at it, so you can do more than survive student teaching ... we want you to thrive.
Denisse,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this piece! I completely understand and feel the frustrations, the hopes, and wishes, the ambition you have and feel about teaching.
If you ever need someone to talk to, to release some anxieties with, I'm definitely here for you. I admire the fact that you are teaching two different content areas - you are definitely a tough cookie. I also appreciated hearing your responses during the mock interview; we can all learn so much from one another.
I hope that you enjoy this weekend, and have a great week ahead of you.
Best,
Amber
Denisse,
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of those statements. Student teaching is stressful enough and yep, we still have class. I know you will be fabulous at it! The best you can do is to take it one day at a time.
My favorite line, "you had no idea your students could teach you"
I have learned being in the classroom as a para that I not only learned from the teachers, but mostly the students. Their view on life and school is jam packed with surprises, and not all of them are a good thing. It matters how we respond to their lives, what impression our demeanor will leave and how much we know from the gift of working with them.
Knowing what I have observed from you, I can see a quiet strength. That is incredibly important when teaching a child, especially when you are their role model. They can sense you listen very well, think it over, and will remain beside them as they make important decisions.
You should be excited about teaching, you are great at it!
Enjoy every second,
LeAnna