Friday was my very first day of student teaching and holy cow was I nervous! I stayed up half the night before going through my information over and over making sure I was fully prepared. I had five alarms set just in case, and I woke up an hour earlier than I really had to.
Just like a child starting their first day, I had all those questions jumping through my head - Will the kids like me? Will I like my school? Just like the kids, I had to show up regardless of my "First Day Jitters" being in full swing. This book is a perfect description of me:
With all these nerves built up, walking into my classroom for the first time in the middle of a meeting didn't make me feel much better, but it was refreshing to sit and listen to them talk about the students and definitely got me back into classroom mode. As the day began and I started to meet the students I would be teaching, I felt a little better but still very shy (hard to believe for those of you who know me well!) and nervous. I just really don't want to mess up and only having 6 weeks to get to know my students doesn't help these feelings...
I began my day observing a one on one session with a second grade student that I will be working with on my own soon. We then went to do inclusion work in third grade. As I stepped into that room my nerve level went from about a three to an eight with all these kids staring at me trying to figure out who I am! I stood off the the side and observed what I would be soon doing myself, and quickly realized that I saw a familiar student in the class. I was soooo excited to see one of my students that I had in second grade from my last school placement now in my third grade class! This changed my day. I felt so much more comfortable knowing I would get to work with a familiar face and already know many of her needs. It's amazing how a child can turn your day around :) Hopefully I make her feel more comfortable at a new school too!
With my jitters being under control, I fell right back into my role as a teacher. I can't wait to start working with these kids! I even had a first day challenge of giving a spelling test to two boys at the same time with two different word lists. Of course I was able to do it and even got to have a little fun making up sentences for the words that made them giggle and have fun taking a test. That's the best!
I finished my day working with the kindergarten class and boy was that so much fun! They are just so cute and hilarious and don't even realize it. I love their creative minds and how they are so willing to work. One boy drew an awesome "wubber wobot" and was so proud to show me (His Robot was made of Rubber -- Isn't that the cutest thing ever?). I am very thrilled with my school placement and I love love love being an intervention specialist. The day goes by so fast because you are constantly changing your pace and working with different children. I can't wait to see what this experience brings for me! Tomorrow begins my first full week teaching! I'm actually excited to wake up early and get to school! (Am I coming down with something?!) I have my clothes picked out, my lunch all packed, and my five alarms set!!! These next six weeks are going to be awesome!
- Miss Shirley
