The Half Time Show

     I've just completed my double halfway point! Not only did completing last week mean that I have six weeks before I return to Texas, but I'm halfway through my full takeover of the class. Now, a perfect halftime show would be Spring Break. Unfortunately, instead I get a week of state testing. Well, not as much me as the students. We're all about at the same ecstatic thrill level, I'm sure. 

     That being said, this upcoming week is going to be weird and crazy for everyone involved. It'll be a good learning experience for me to understand the crazy role of testing from another standpoint. I feel like I've been experiencing that a lot - seeing the school day from a whole new perspective. I remember many times falling asleep in classes or counting down the minutes until I was free from the building. Now, there never seems enough time to get things done. I end a class feeling like I rush through everything I teach and never get a chance to go as in depth as I would like.

     Honestly, I'm not sure what else to tell, y'all. Right now, teaching is teaching. There are good days and bad days. I feel like I'm learning every day from both the students and the other teachers I interact with. I'm learning that I'm not the best with balancing life and teaching. I tend to invest myself wholeheartedly into whatever I do, so I tend to have problems giving everything 100%. If anyone knows a trick for this, I would be more than interested in hearing it. Or how to maximize your weekend. There just aren't enough hours in a day right now. 

That's really the best way I can describe the last two weeks. Also, it's starting to get warmer. That does make things more pleasant.

Until next time,

Kaity


P.S. ----> If you like books, then you should check out my BookTube channel! I make videos every Thursday!

The Final Boss Battle

So....I think that I have figured out an analogy for last semesters.

If you have ever played video games, I want you to imagine facing the Boss. Now, do you know what typically happens the closer you get to defeating the giant? It becomes 12 times as hard. They move faster, the send more attacks, and you're panting and yelling and screaming by the end of it. That is what my last semester feels like. The very end of a Boss fight.

And, y'all, I'm already tired. While I have experienced observing once or twice a week, taking on the role of a teacher when you aren't used to working full days (I blame the comfort of half days with college classes and never having to work Fridays) is a huge mental and physical switch. It probably doesn't help that I spend all day in my second language, and I'm not use to doing that, either.

The benefit of student teaching, however, is I get to make mistakes and I can fix them. I am having to relearn balance and how to manage my time. That's another interesting I've come to pick up. Time.

Time is different as a teacher. Classes don't always feel 50 minutes long, they feel shorter. I consistently remember falling asleep in classes and begging the clock to move faster during certain periods, but it's totally different from this side of things. Now, I don't have enough time. There's so much that needs to happen and so much they need to learn and BOOM! the day is over or POOF! the week is gone. I can't believe I've been here for four weeks. It's felt like two.

This week is a special short week because we had Monday as a holiday. So, four days of teaching - which should make things easier, right? I feel like I've worked out a lot of kinks in my own systems, but I guess only time will tell.

Quickly, I would also like to thank everyone for the lovely thoughts and prayers and encouragement that I can make it. I don't know if y'all know how much that means to me. If y'all don't mind praying extra hard for Friday, because my teacher is flying in to observe and, if anything, I need the kids to be normal just for that day this week. Just that day.

I don't know how much of this post is just spewing out words to a choir of people who've already been there and done that, but thank you for taking the time to read this anyway. It motivates me to keep typing.

Until next time,

Kaity

Videos for the week:

(If you're not into Harry Potter, don't worry about the last one. And, as always, videos are captioned.)