Almost There……

It has been a long semester.  Between working 40 hours student teaching, I’ve been trying to fit working in anytime I can, so I’ve been doing about 60-70 hours and working 7 days a week is getting a little old.  I just have to remind myself, I’m almost there.

Graduation is May 4th.  I’ve been accepted by Clemson University in their Graduate program with a scholarship and assistantship.  Yes, I’m jazzed, just to pooped to jump up and down.  I have to say that my respect for teachers has risen.  I’ve been teaching, preparing lesson plans, dealing with classroom management, speaking to parents in parent/teacher conferences and so forth.  It. Wears. You. Out.  Plus there are children who just are difficult to help.  They are their own worst enemy and it takes a lot of energy not to give up on them.  I’ve found that some students don’t like my teaching style because I’m not entertaining.  (Sorry, I want you to learn not be entertained in school.)  But it makes it worth while when there are the few who say “thank you” for teaching me something, because I know I’m my own worst enemy and its my fault that my grades aren’t up to parr.

I’m almost there.  I say this because going into student teaching I had a much different idea about what I should be doing with teaching.  It’s been reversed.  I can’t give you all the reasons, except to say that it’s not what I expected and I found that my level of care for their education has grown.  I’ve seen a lot of things that I never thought I would have to deal with.  Young people whose own parents give up on them, others who don’t have parents who care and live with someone else and those who just don’t have anyone at all; these are the ones who slip through the school system, without really having someone look them in the face and ask questions about who they are, what they want, what their plans are….there is so much more to being a teacher than people realize.

I’m almost there.  I think this experience is preparing me for something great, I just don’t know what it is yet.   I have found my true calling and it is – Teacher.