Student Teaching!

Well, the time has finally arrived. I have started my student teaching! Sort of...

I say sort of because the kids haven't had their official "first day" yet, so I haven't started teaching but I am at my school and excited as ever! 

On Sunday night at 11pm I got an email from my instructor with my assignment (talk about last minute). There was some confusion about my registration but it all got worked out and I got a fabulous assignment. I am going to be teaching in the BYU lab preschool for the first block! I am ecstatic! Last semester our liaison asked which of us would be willing to teach in the preschool and I just assumed that everyone would love to, but apparently it's not highly desired by many girls. I'm still trying to figure that one out...

I said that I would be willing and that's where I was assigned. It is fabulous for so many reasons.

1. I am working with the same teacher that I did my 222 class with (the class where you are an aid in the preschool for a block). I worked with Mr. Brad which is the teacher I have been assigned to work with for my student teaching. This means there were no barriers on the first day and I didn't have to worry about getting to know him or having any problems. Mr. Brad and I go waaay back. Ha! Kidding. But I really respect him as a teacher and I think he respects me as well.

2. I have access to every resource I could possibly imagine! If you don't know much about the BYU lab preschool, just know this. It is a very nice school. They have every possible thing a teacher could want or need in preparing a lesson. I have access to computers to plan lessons, amazing teachers and aids to help me plan them, unlimited amounts of toys to fill the classroom with, hundreds (if not thousands) of books (for the kids and resource books for me), and not to mention every kind of craft supply  you could imagine. It's basically a let-your-imagination-run-wild kind of place! 

3. I am surrounded my amazing people. Not only am I working with the amazing Mr. Brad, I have Anne (the preschool director) who is a fabulous resource for anything and everything! She knows everything there is to know about children, teaching and that gosh darn TWS (eeew) so I'm so excited to be working with her. 

4. I will have so much time to plan lessons. Since I will be teaching preschool, the kids aren't in the classroom for a huge amount of time. The children are only in there for 2 1/2 hours. There is both a morning and an afternoon class but I have time before, in between and after to meet with Brad and my 222 students for planning and discussion. I also have Friday's to set up and prepare everything with my 222 girls for the following week (since the kids don't come on Fridays). (222 girls are the girls who are currently enrolled in the 222 class which makes them my aids)

5. And last but not least it is close to home and to Josh's work. Since Josh and I only have one car I was really worried that I would get placed at a school far away without another girl to carpool with and would be stuck with how to handle the car situation. But, Josh can simply take me to the school in the morning, go back home, go to work at 2, then when I get out around 4 I walk to Kneaders and get the keys from him and then pick him up at 10:30 when he gets off. It may sound ridiculous, but it's much better than making other people give us rides. We have it all figured out! Plus it's also way better than taking on a car loan. I think we'll manage just fine with one car for now.  :)

Of course working in the lab school will have it's "down" sides too. I put down in quotation marks because they really aren't bad things, just different. I've heard from many girls that working in the BYU lab preschool is much more intense. Since Anne does our observations and because she is so busy, she doesn't schedule her observations with us. She will just come and observe when she has the time. This means that instead of just writing 4-5 lesson plans for the lessons that we're observed for, I will be writing a lesson plan for every lesson I teach of every day and will be turning them in weekly to both Brad and Anne to be looked over. That's a lot more than the other girls, but nothing that will hurt me! It can only help.

We also put in more hours than most of the girls in the public schools. Rather than getting there 30 minutes before school and leaving 30 minutes after we have to be there an hour before school starts and stay until an hour after it ends. That means I will be at the school from 7:30-4:30 daily. Phew. It is going to be a long 9 weeks, but totally rewarding! 

I'm not going to lie, I already feel exhausted, but that's mostly to blame on the fact that I was on a horrible sleep schedule all summer. I closed most nights with Josh at Kneaders so we would get home at 11pm, eat dinner and then got to bed around 1-1:30. That also meant that we typically slept in pretty late. So, this switch has been a bit of an adjustment.

Long story short, I am so excited about the semester! It is going to be so rewarding and fun. I can't wait to get to know all 40 of my students and all 12 of my aids! I can't believe how blessed I am to get to be a part of these children's lives and to help them learn and grow! I love my major! 

 

I snapped this crazy picture of my classroom the other day at random. It's a horrible view and doesn't really show anything amazing about it, but it's a picture so I feel obliged to post it. This is the view from the front corner of the room. You can see part of the rug and some tables and shelves. Ha! Oh, and that huge mirror...that's a one way mirror. Behind that mirror is a booth where parents, other teachers and anyone else can sit and watch/hear everything that goes on. Freaky, right? That's why those big cones are hanging from the ceiling...those are speakers. I have to be honest, I always forget it's there. So if you want to come watch me teach...you can! :) But don't tell me you're coming....