Pompeii

Monica was annoyed that I didn't post any First Day details so I figured I'd start there.

My problem on Monday wasn't that I set my alarm too late. 6 am is plenty of time to get up, check my e-mail, get dressed, put on makeup, get my lunch and coffee, and head out the door by 6:45. My problem was that checking my e-mail turned into checking two e-mail accounts, Facebook, Twitter, (maybe Pinterest?), and three webcomics.

And of course, my other problem was scraping the frost off of my windshield when I was running no fewer than five minutes behind schedule. I ended up getting on the freeway about 7, miraculously making a 30-to-40-minute drive in 25.

It wasn't until I got out of my car in the parking lot at Longbourn Middle School that I realized, oh crap, I'd left my CMU Teacher Ed ID on my dresser. In my house. And at 7:30 on a a Monday morning, a good 45-minute drive from my house.

Oh wait, I'm getting my days mixed up. That ID business was today, the day my student teaching coordinator came for a visit. Lovely man, let's call him Col. Fitzwilliam. Of course all turned out well, but I was a bit frantic for a few minutes there. Back to Monday.

Saying that the Monday after Christmas break is "a bit rough," is like saying Pompeii got "a bit toasty." Give students 2 weeks off of school in the middle of the semester and they forget everything. The main problem I saw on Monday, however, was students falling asleep. Granted, they were doing sight-reading practice instead of rehearsing actual pieces, and it wasn't every student, but come on now. Lizzy said the repercussions of break should right themselves within a couple of weeks, but hopefully before finals.

I can't lie, Monday dragged on forever, mostly because I observed all day. I did start learning students' names, and found I remembered a few from each class from when I observed back in December. We started playing a name game, and every day I'm adding a row of students, so I don't get overwhelmed. Apart from that and the notes I took, however, Monday is largely a blur to me.

Lizzy (again, the alias I shall use for my cooperating teacher), is not someone completely unknown to me before student teaching. She knows my parents, and she and I reacquainted little over a year ago at the ACDA State Conference at CMU. We have since been in contact, had dinner and coffee together, and decided that this would be a really wonderful experience to have. Thankfully TEPD (Teacher Ed/Professional Development) at CMU was able to switch me over to another coordinator (since Hertfordshire isn't in my immediate area) and it worked out!

Watching Lizzy work with her students in December was a completely different experience from what it is now. In December, I observed her the two days before the Winter Concert, and helped her out with things on her to-do list. Meanwhile, she was sleepless and about at the end of her rope. Based on circumstances around that time, I can hardly blame her! The choristers were losing energy fast as well, but working hard. However, it left me a bit nervous for what lay ahead.

My doubts were assuaged when I saw her interacting with and teaching her students on Monday. She gives them every ounce of energy that she can, and sometimes more. They reciprocate, and the learning process begins. Questions are thrown at the students like a ball of used bubblegum that they must first extract and examine before throwing the answers back. Excuses are strictly prohibited, occasionally leading into a brief illustration of what would happen in a real-world situation (if you forgot your driver's license instead of your pencil, or if you didn't listen to all the information your boss gave you).

Here's an illustration of something I love about Lizzy's classes:

Today, not five minutes after Lizzy publicly acknowledged that Collins (again, alias) was not paying attention during the sight reading practice, he was the only student to quietly pipe up with the correct answer to a question. Lizzy earnestly thanked him for being involved and giving the right answer that she needed in order to move on.

The student next to Collins smiled and leaned in for a fist bump. Collins grinned, fist-bumped, and the two of them turned their attention back to Lizzy.

That seemingly insignificant scene played out in my mind all day. I think it's because it showed me that Lizzy shows her students she has high expectations of them, and they truly do rise to the challenge when called out in a way that invites them to contribute. Also, the encouragement from Collins' neighbor was touching: he thought it was cool that he got the right answer to a sight-reading question.

That in itself was enough to convince me that this semester will be awesome.