These Are the Days: Student Teaching

It has been a while since I have written anything on here. Well, where to start…

I have been teaching 6^th grade the past couple of weeks at Washington Middle School in Green Bay. For most teaching program, you sit & observe for this portion of your education. At the SNC, you actually get to student teach for 5 weeks. It has been awesome.

Washington has a student population that is roughly half minority, just a little different than the 1% minority population we had at DePere High. 70% of the students are on free & reduced lunches. This means we are not exactly talking about the wealthiest families. Parent involvement lacks also. For conferences my 1^st week, 10 of our 45 students had parents attend.

Give the above statistics, you would never guess how awesome the kids are. The experience has been so much more than I expected. It was hard at first to get used to being called Mr. Schwa, but the respect you get from the kids is great. Considering a lot of their home circumstances, it is hard to believe the excel as well as they do.

Another great part has been the teachers I am working with. They are pretty much exact opposites & it is fun working with the contrast on a daily basis. Both have done anything and everything to help me out. I have also meet a ton of people in the district which will pay off come graduation time in another year.

I have been doing my part to experience everything I possibly can at the school. In the 1^st couple weeks I have already set up a book exchange program for my students, as well as a basketball tournament during study hall, & have gotten involved as a track coach. There are a few other things I am looking at tackling in my time there. Next Wednesday, May 5, I even get to go on a field trip down to Milwaukee. It’ll be my 1^st field trip in years & I am stoked.

There are a ton of funny stories I could tell, but I will wait until I am out of the school to unload a few. Maybe the funniest so far has been one of my students persistently trying to hook me up with her older sister. On the other end are some of students, cocaine, & prostituation.

If you know how much I hate waking up anywhere before noon, you’ll be amazed that I haven’t bitched once about having to wake up at 6 everyday. I won’t lie, it has been rough at times but I have so much fun at school, it more than makes up for it.

I think the best part of the experience has been validation. A lot of people doubted I would ever get this far. I always had a plan to get back to school & always knew I would graduate. I am backing that all up now. Not only am I doing something I love, I am excelling at it & performing at a high level. Not a lot of people can claim that. This has done a ton for my already soarings elf confidence so watch out.

Summer is coming soon & I can’t wait. Last summer I learned a lot about myself & had a lot of fun in the process. I plan to duplicate that this summer. I can’t wait to see where the road leads me.

Currently Playing…
What’s Left of Me
By Nick Lachey
“What’s Left of Me”
(I am going to take a beating for this recommendation but I love the song. I saw a show on the CD & the next couple of singles, I Can’t Hate You Anymore & Resolution are amazing also. I am going to actually buy the disc.)