Reflections

So, I was thinking the other day. I decided that I would be a much better teacher if I actually felt like I knew what I was doing from day to day. Right now, I'm just trying to keep my head above water with the everyday assignments. Other English teachers tell me what they did and report what they're doing with their students, and all I can think is, "Wow, that sounds really neat. I should try that." The thing is, I don't have the time or the energy to do what they do on a daily basis. I sometimes feel like I'm cutting corners or not being the best teacher I can be because I'm not doing all of this stuff that other teachers are doing. However, the other English teacher on my team told me that a professor once told her it took 3 years to really get things figured out and be a really good teacher. That makes me feel a little better, but I still don't like feeling like I'm cheating my students. I want them to get the best learning experience they can, and I want them to feel like they actually learned something in English. I don't want them to feel like it was a waste of time, nor do I want them to go to 8th grade and have their teachers ask who their teacher was because it appears that they know nothing... I know we all have our own styles and expertise. I just hope I'm actually teaching my students something...

Despite all of that, I still love my job. I think the students are hilarious, even the ones that drive me crazy on a daily basis. With teaching, there's always something new and exciting going on. There's never a dull moment. The students always have some story to tell or something to relate to. It's quite refreshing, especially when they can make a real connection to something we're doing in class.

We're almost done with our Holocaust unit. I am a little sad about it because I love the book we're reading and the students are very interested in the book and the topic, but I'm also ready to move on to something else. I want to do some poetry when we get back from Spring Break, but I'm not actually sure what we have planned for when we get back.

I'm ready for some warmer weather. For me, March means soccer practice and rain and warm weather, not snow. I realize this is Iowa, but the snow can go away.