Alert the media!

I'm thrilled right now. My lesson went really well today at the high school. The cooperating teacher rocks -- she had me up and involved vs. just observing. It is great to be treated like a teacher vs. an observer (which is really all I am at this stage). I do my actual student teaching in the fall, but the teacher who I'm observing is giving me practical experience RIGHT NOW. I'm so excited!

We chatted about how I did afterward and she was very positive. I told her how some great stuff flew right out of my brain that I would have liked to have covered. She reassured me that it isn't a big deal -- when you have your own classroom you have time to touch back on things you forget to mention and that touching back on a topic is a great way to activate learning and build one lesson upon a previous lesson.

I thought it was awfully darn nice of her -- I think it will be easier when I'm confident on the material and know all the student's names. Doing one lesson in isolation is hard for me because I'm a big picture kind of gal -- I like to associate what we are talking about with other things in the unit. I couldn't really do that but she chimed in and did it as a follow up. I want to make associations and ideally lead my students to make associations. This too will come! My classes for this have been spread out over 6 years (not to mention all the credits that I took when I got my Bachelor degree17 years ago, dang am I old!)

The thing that is funny is that I'm obsessed with doing things perfectly -- I was never like this when I was young (says the creaky old 38 year old!). I reflect on everything I do and want an immediate do over. The nice thing is that I get to be back in there again quickly -- this Wednesday! Today was a make up day from the snow day. I'm buried at work but LOVING the time in the classroom. I will be a BLAST this fall when I'm student teaching and NOT working a day job too!

Maybe I have more energy today because that crazy medicine is actually reducing my nausea! Alert the media! A goal for tonight -- eat something besides applesauce and mashed potatoes for dinner. I think I can, I think I can!

Off to pick up my kids. They love hearing stories about the big kids at the high school. I love hearing stories about the little kids at their elementary school. Hopefully they have happy stories today. If only I could take a brief nap first.... Oh well!