So I am now in my second week

My God. I have started taking over the Social Studies 13 class and let me tell you I am strongly whacking myself in the head for going in to teaching. Possibly I am overwhelmed and these kids are just whacked.

As I may have posted last week (not sure I can remember), I had my first class where I was officially in charge of this class. Well needless to say I was not in charge, the students were. It was beyond out of control. So this week I decided I would give them my "tough teacher" spiel. They were better, but only marginally.

I feel that the students really do not view me as a "legitimate" teacher and therefore feel no need to give me any respect whatsoever. Class room management class certainly does not cover this. The beauty of all this is that if I admit defeat I am a failure, if I ask for more guidance I am a failure. I really do not feel that my mentor teacher is supporting me.

I watched my mentor teacher with these kids and he basically lets them do whatever they want and then plays like he has been in control. I on the other hand would like them to learn. He started an assignment with them last week when I started where they were to have 3 days to complete a group assignment (more than enough time to finish this assignment). Well 3 days turned in to 4 days and then they were given the weekend to complete it on their own time. So today when I get there they are asking to have more time. My Mentor Teacher asks me with the student there what I think (remember I had them Friday and they completely were nuts and screwing around the 1 1/2 hour class. So I said "No, I do not think you should have any more time"....well needless to say my mentor teacher says "okay you can have the last half hour to work on your assignment. What the f%#.

What is truly ironic is that he recommends tomorrow when I am to mark their assignment (power point and speeches, poster, and newspaper ad) I should "praise their work and mark them easy". Sounds like a brilliant way to reward them for doing nothing. Great message for them to understand the realities of the world.

Anyways, I really hope tomorrow is better. I am really ready to approach the vice-principal for guidance or my University Facilitator, however this may just make me look incompetent and irritate my mentor teacher. HELP!

Leah

Yeah First Day is Over!!!

So my first day is over. I have had a great day and feel I will really enjoy my teaching post. My mentor teacher seems to be good and I hope to have a lot of fun. He actually is going to let me take over the class for a few days without him in there so that I get comfortable before he observes me. I love it!

I am kind of surprised with the cleverness of the students. My last school seems to have been a little "slower" in the intelligence scale, but they were awesome too. ANyways I will add when I get anything more exciting.

Leah

Aaryanna is now stuck on getting old

On sunday I spent the day shopping with mom and the kids. As we sat in the food court Aaryanna got on the subject of getting older (she is only 5). So Mom told her yes we all would get old one day....really old. SO Aaryanna is looking around the mall food court seeing all these really decrpit old people. Well needless to say my five year old was extremely depressed to think of these prospects that we all face. She actually was overwhelmingly sad.

So she still is asking me today (monday) about getting old. She is like, "I will be a Doctor and then I will fix people so they don't have to get old"....so bloody cute she is. Well chat soon

Leah

Okay so I am done my ridiculous unit plan...welll sort of

Okay so I have had sooooo much work in the past 5 weeks I am ready to pull all my f$@&ing hair out and quit the idea of teaching, well almost.

My professor that has been teaching us has given ridiculoulsy confusing and detailed assignmnets. I have done OKAY but always recieve the same mark. It does not matter how much effort I put in I always get the same bloody mark. This leads me to the question of why do I continue to put sooo much effort into my assignments if I know I am going to get the same average bloody mark(my marks have certainly not been astounding, nor have they been failures).

So anyways I have completed all that I am going to do for my unit plan. Stuff is missing such as teachers notes, etc, but the main stuff is their. I have put probably a hundred hours into this bloody thing and it is only for 60hrs of study...but thats teaching. What is so disheartening is that so many people do not realize all the time and effort that goes in to teaching...there goes my whine.

Anyways, I am done to as much as I am going to do and then I will hand it in tomorrow and be free, free at last. Yeah!

So wish me bloody good luck and hope I get some ridiculously high mark.

Leah