I just had the kind of surreal and genuine moment that makes this job worth doing -- that makes being a teacher worth the time and the turmoil and the lingering difficulties. Mrs. C came in and said "So, two of the students said they missed you."
I was confused and surprised. I inquired further and they apparently missed me being there and missed my "cool beard." I feel really touched. My freshmen, whom I haven't seen in about two weeks, genuinely miss me.
I've been exploring other courses, observing different teachers and doing some out of class work trying to catch up on everything I need to do for my graduate program. And then this just came out of nowhere. I am really genuinely touched right now.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Limitations
So, I am still alive for anyone out there worried I might have expired during my student teaching. Unfortunately, as the intensive period (what I've been referring to the point in time when I was carrying a full class load as) began, I found myself with less time in the day than I wanted.
Soon, things became untenable. I was forced to pick things to simply drop from my life, and this blog was one of the first victims. Sleep and food quickly followed and I pushed my health and body closer to their limitations than I should have. I routinely missed meals, I began training myself to sleep for only four hours a day and I kept myself well through Emergen-C and vitamins.
Now that the intensive is done, I will again be posting here (and also try to catch up a bit on what has happened in the past two weeks). I am much better than I was and things are now really winding back down in my life.
The play I was in went amazingly well and we received standing ovations, as well as people openly crying. It was quite something, and I am really glad I was a part of it. I am also glad we're done and my evenings are free again -- I've got some major relaxing and some major reflecting to do on both experiences.
I am really glad for what this experience has been, and I think I am better prepared for when I begin doing it "for real." From here, it's just a matter of transitioning back into an observer and then teaching The Odyssey to the freshmen.
I will be reflecting more in the coming days, on my classes, what worked and didn't work, my life, the show and on the murky and hazy future from here.
Still alive and standing,
-- Bryon
Soon, things became untenable. I was forced to pick things to simply drop from my life, and this blog was one of the first victims. Sleep and food quickly followed and I pushed my health and body closer to their limitations than I should have. I routinely missed meals, I began training myself to sleep for only four hours a day and I kept myself well through Emergen-C and vitamins.
Now that the intensive is done, I will again be posting here (and also try to catch up a bit on what has happened in the past two weeks). I am much better than I was and things are now really winding back down in my life.
The play I was in went amazingly well and we received standing ovations, as well as people openly crying. It was quite something, and I am really glad I was a part of it. I am also glad we're done and my evenings are free again -- I've got some major relaxing and some major reflecting to do on both experiences.
I am really glad for what this experience has been, and I think I am better prepared for when I begin doing it "for real." From here, it's just a matter of transitioning back into an observer and then teaching The Odyssey to the freshmen.
I will be reflecting more in the coming days, on my classes, what worked and didn't work, my life, the show and on the murky and hazy future from here.
Still alive and standing,
-- Bryon
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