Rejuvenation

Man oh man are Thursdays TOUGH. The spunk and energy that I start each week has pretty much dwindled down to zilch by Thursday. Today I had to force myself to jump around and teach in a peppy, up beat voice....or we all might have fallen asleep. The kids are worn out and the teachers are worn out.

Speaking of sleeping....Our kiddos have Kindergarten Reading Buddies that they see every other Thursday. Today one of the little Kinders was leaning up against the wall while listening to her buddy read. The poor little love kept slipping lower and lower on the wall as she began to nod off. It's tough being 5 and in school all day. All you need is the robotic reading voice of a second grader to lull you to sleep.

I think I'm really starting to get the hang of this whole student teaching thing. I love the fact that everything I've been learning has shaped me into a better teacher AND a better mother all in one. The classroom management tips and strategies work just as well at home with two bickering kiddos. My favorite thing is when I catch myself using my "faked excitement" voice with an adult. I'm so used to pretending to be just knock my socks of giddy about student input that I start responding that way outside of school as well.

Only 3 more weeks in this setting...the time has flown by. I will have been with the 2nd graders for a total of 9 weeks. I don't want to say goodbye yet!!! They are so sweet and amazing, my heart hurts when I think of not seeing them daily. The positive in all this is that I am completely excited about my next placement. Jr High, which I love, and Special Ed, which I am passionate about. I'm just hoping that the kids are as amazing, and that my mentor teacher is half the woman that my current one is.

Image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37s/4418286749/