I'm running low on energy

This last week was the first week where I really felt ready to be done with residency. I don't know if it is just all the work and prep for teaching each day, having two young children and being a single mom half the time, or the combination of both that is wearing me out, but I am definitely counting down the days to being done. Only 1 week to go! Officially, I should be done this Wednesday, but I am going to go ahead and finish out the week seeing as it is the week before spring break and it might be a little hard for my mentor to step in for just two days. I started filling in grades tonight in the "Social Emotional" section. This section was pretty easy to fill out since I know all the kids really well and have observed them for a long time now. I'm a little nervous about doing the rest of the grades because it is definitely a lot of work. I have to figure out which kiddos I need to do assessments on this week so that I have all the information I need to complete report cards.

Why they are the way they are...

Parent/Teacher conferences went very well! Not that I thought they wouldn't, I was just very nervous about running them myself. I actually enjoyed getting to meet parents, grandparents and siblings. I definitely understand a little better now why some of my students are the way they are. As they say, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree..." After the first few conferences, I started to get the hang of things and gained more confidence. My mentor teacher was always there with me in case I needed her to answer questions or add extra information. One conference experience was kind of neat because I had to talk through an interpreter. The family is Russian and although the kids speak both Russian and English, the parents only speak Russian.

One more week down!

I can't believe I am on the homestretch to finishing my residency. Last week ended well, although Friday was absolutely insane with our Valentine's Day party and all. I could tell the moment the kids came into the classroom that the day was going to be an interesting one....they were literally vibrating with excitement for passing out their Valentine's and loading up on treats. I can honestly say that we did not accomplish much as far as learning goes on Friday. I mostly spent the day preparing the kiddos for their student led conferences that are on Monday and Tuesday. I had to make sure they knew what they were doing and that they were able to locate the work they are going to share with their parents. Hahaha...even after expaining and going over directions 3 and 4 times, I still had kids who did not know what to do. It is amazing to me that a child can zone out for a five to ten minute period of time and have no idea what was just talked about and covered. I had to laugh or else I would've lost my mind. Good thing our party was at the end of the day so that the kids got loaded with sugar and then went home to their parents!

Still alive and kickin...

I have to laugh...each day is such an adventure in the world of teaching. One day I might feel on top of the world and that I can handle it, and then the next I fall flat on my face and wonder why anyone would choose such a career. Overall, things have definitely gotten a little smoother as far as my days and lesson planning go. I don't feel like I'm running around with my head cut off as much and I'm remembering the details whereas the first week I was only capable of focusing on one or two things. Classroom management continues to he a huge struggle and to be honest, at the end of the day, I have felt like ringing a few kids' necks (Of course I didn't :-). We have a Valentine's Party on Friday and then Parent Teacher Conferences on Monday and Tuesday. I'm a little nervous about leading conferences, some of our parents intimidate me a bit. I am relieved that my mentor will be there as well, ready to cut it should she need to. Let's pray I handle it all okay.