Whew! I just finished my third week of student teaching and it was exciting, frustrating, disappointing, rewarding and most of all, fast.

I was able to teach two things: Math and paragraph leads. My use of “whew” was an example of leading with an expression. The teacher talk is infiltrating my brain, finally. Teacher talk, or correct, professional and common terminology is so important. Because without it, let’s face it, it’s just talk.

And now for the humorous. I’ve been trying to accessorize my former office attire (i.e., I bought some jewelry.) The first week one of the girls in class asked me, “Are those real pearls?”

“No,” I replied.

“I didn’t think so,” she said.

Well, since I work with jewelry appraisers I’ll have by better knock-offs. These fakers were from Talbots so I thought I was on the right track.

My school is in a pretty affluent neighborhood. Yesterday I was doing playground duty (I still laugh every time I hear duty) and notice a building that boarded the playground. Was this building with two story-high, giant windows a church? No, that house belongs to Bobby Smith’s* family. Hmm.

I’m learning how to corral and silence this group of children. I realize of course, that I’ll have to re-learn these skills with another group. I’ve found with these kids it’s like trying to get the attention of a room full of drunks. You either need to make a loud noise or say something very off-beat or interesting. For example praising the listening skills of the rowdiest kid in the room during his two minute break often gets the desired attention.

 Finally, one of the funniest moments was last Friday. For my benefit they were coming up with describing words that matched the first sound of their last name such as Smiling Stevens. It was an exercise to help me remember their last names. One of the boys asked my co-operating teacher (his teacher since September) what her last name was.

She looked at him bewildered and told him. “It’s Jones*. As in Mrs. Jones.”

“No way! That’s your last name,” he responded, honestly shocked.

Wow, you can’t get much past him!

*All names have been changed to CMA.

jem-just-a-ride.mp3

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Which is what Jon would truly be like if we didn’t hear his cat.

These resolutions made me laugh. I’m actually about to fill up the helium balloons right now.

• Quitting Smoking: For every cigarette you smoke, eat two.
• Losing Weight: Put down that shrink ray! Instead, attach thousands of colorful helium balloons to your person. The balloons take pressure off the scale and give you colorful plumage. Soon, you’ll be a neighborhood folk hero beloved by children and ignored by the elderly.

I start student teaching tomorrow and this site will be a forum for me to do daily journals about my student teaching experience. Of course, I will try to add other blog information if I think of it.

I am in a wedding this weekend. I will never be in another non-relative wedding again. I vow. Not only am I wearing Hunter Green the bride, (a 36-year old second time bride) is running around like Scarlet O’Hara and taking serious amounts of my copious time. I’m not even the maid of honor!

Seriously, some people take the “it’s your day” mentality to true diva proportions.

Note to self: never ever include others in a second wedding.

Additional note to self: don’t have a second wedding.