6 Weeks Down 12 To Go!

Well I experienced this today! Feels so good to get over a hump and move on to the next step!

The countdown is how I track my progress.  I can look back at another completed week and give myself a pat on the back for getting through it!  Not that it's a negative struggle, but it sure is a LOT of work and a lot of exhaustion!

The past two weeks were probably one of the hardest yet.  There was just SO much going on, I felt like I needed an IV of coffee and a group of cheerleaders to cheer me on.  HAH, funny thing is…we did have a group of cheerleaders come by for spirit week!

Let me explain the current events of my life:  Well, EVERYONE I love most was out of the state at one point, and at least two "parties" gone at a time.  I never knew how lonely that would feel, even though the only person I see on a regular basis is Nick.  My parents left for a trip out of the country, my brother was in Florida for work, and as soon as he got back to Colorado, Nick left for a business trip to New Hampshire.  It made for an extra emotional week knowing my biggest supporters wouldn't be close.  It's weird that during a typical 2 week period, I may not see my brother or parents once…but knowing they're all out of town makes my heart heavy, and miss them more than normal!

So, while I was busy being emotional because my dear ones were too far, I was also juggling after school babysitting, house sitting for my parents, spirit week, the realization that I need to get cracking on my TWS (teacher work sample) and Capstone, and the realization that no matter how confidant I feel as a teacher to be, there is still SO MUCH to learn that I won't be able to learn until I get my own class.

Let's just say I've had the biggest pile of bricks on my shoulders, the largest frogs and butterflies having a party in my throat and stomach, and all the while I've been SO HAPPY and EXCITED for every day of school with our class.  I guess that's proof that I'm on the right path..that no matter the stress, I'm still glad to be doing what I'm doing! (or maybe I'm just giving myself a pep talk via my blog post, baha!)

After all of that these past few weeks, TODAY I finally felt some relief.  Both my brother and Nick are  back in town so that's a bit of weight lifted.  My parents get home in a couple days, which means I can worry less about them and won't have to house sit anymore.  AND TODAY I finally found some clarity for my TWS and Capstone and cannot wait to get going on them!  Just the clarity of my ideas is enough to calm my nerves.  Thank goodness I can breath a little better now!

Other teaching news:  I had my first of 6 observations, an "informal" observation.  I taught our normal morning routine, and was observed doing "Daily News" with the class.  Every morning we sit in whole group on the floor, one student comes to the easel and reports on their news.  Together we write it as a class and practice grammar, punctuation, phonics, etc.  This is a time for our students to build community by learning about one another, feel a sense of pride to report in front of their class, and to practice A TON of aspects of writing that they need to know and use on a daily basis.  Daily news is fun for me also.  My CT has so many fun names for long vowels, short vowels, word patterns, silent letters, etc… So it's fun to practice those with the kids.

I've begun teaching reading and writing groups on occasion.  I love small group because it's a good time for the kids to get to know my teaching styles and expectations without my CT around, and for me  to get a better glimpse of their progress and how each child learns a bit differently.  It's fun to see their personalities come out in these groups as.  My CT let me plan for our middle (meaning at grade level) writing group for this weeks lessons.  She guided me on their targets, but I was in charge of planning each days work and will be responsible for making sure they are meeting their targets.  I'm glad to take on more responsibility!

Let another week begin!