3rd Grade Thoughts..

I have to first say that the classroom I am student teaching in presents many new challenges almost daily with management. The students have a hard time getting along with each other, and there is something about the chemistry of the students that seems to cause an explosion like unto one in a chemistry lab when the wrong chemicals are mixed... KABOOM! Students off-task, talking, boys play fighting, and it all happens at once, and not only because I am acting as their teacher, it was happening before.

While I hate being the teacher that makes the kids practice, practice, practice the procedures that is what we have ended up doing at least once a week if not more. Good procedures reduce the transtion time from one activity/lesson to the next which leaves less room for students to be off task.

I just keep reminding myself that I am learning valuable information from these students, and while sometimes I seem to be at my whits end there are the little bonuses that come from teaching that always keep you going.

Highlights from this week, good and bad :) -

"Mrs. Luke, can we do a net this afternoon, I really like it the other day when we did that in math" - YAY! Goes to show that what you teach the kids rubs off and they remember, especially the things that they enjoy.

"Mrs. Luke, so-and-so and so-and-so told me that they don't like you as their teacher." Me -"Well *Courtney, as your teacher I can't care if people like me or not, if I were here only to get you and the other girls to like me I would never get anything done. I am here to teach you, not to try and be everyone's friend." *Courtney - "Well Mrs. Luke, I don't care what they think, I like you! I think you're the best student teacher I have ever had." Of which I will probably be the only student teacher she will ever have :)

****Names were changed for the sake of my students, but I had to share this story. I have come to find that in the profession that I am going into I really cannot care what the people think about me, and for someone who used to be very timid and shy and cared too much sometimes what other people thought, can now be placed in a stressful situation with supervisors or supporting teachers, or principals, and not care what they think because I have my own "job" to do. :)