Just chilling

So long since I've blogged! Sorry, peops, just been quite busy and tired. Can you believe it - I am now half way to becoming a teacher!!!! I survived my first semester, and am thoroughly enjoying my mid-year break.

Everybody asks, "So, do you still want to be a teacher now that your 4 week placement is over?" I'm happy to answer yes! It was a pretty gruelling semester. I don't like working full time. Haven't done it for years. So to go to an overload course really took it out of me. I didn't do anywhere near as much as I would have liked, but I passed and learnt STACKS, so that's good. My placement was great - I had a fantastic mentor teacher who has been in the job for years, so I learnt heaps from her. The little preps were gorgeous too, and I was quite sad to say goodbye - will visit again next term just 'cuz I miss them already. Not quite sure how I will cope with my first year of teaching - I may just die, but I reckon I'll probably die happy and enjoying my job, so it's all good! ;-)

I have now had 5 blissful days off, in which I have been surprisingly productive. Been shopping, socialising, and cleaning the mountains of crap out of my room. Read half a book and watched little telly too. Oh yeah, I started a 7 week German class, which I am really enjoying. I liked Japanese, but I just love the fact that I can actually read German, which makes it so much easier and more fun.

I don't think my brain has quite recovered from my tough semester... while having lunch with my old uni friends today, I made the intelligent statement that "No matter what, 1 + 1 always equals 1!" Doh! Wendy suggested kinder may be more appropriate for me than primary teaching! (Happy Amy? Whole world gets to laugh at my stupidity now! Giggle!)

A day in the life of a student teacher

6:30 - rise and ready
7:15 - leave for the 45 min drive to school, through some stunning countryside, glorious sunrises, with indescribably beautiful skies
8:00 - last minute preparations (photocopying, laminating, etc, etc)
8:45 - pre-school yard duty (on Tuesdays. Thursdays do 2nd half of lunch and after school)
9:00 - teaching begins (roll, take home book changes, fine motor activities, guided writing, writing rotations, literacy session and rotations)
11:00 - recess (first half - yard duty, 2nd half - loo, eat, set up for next session)
11:30 - teaching again (maths whole class and rotations)
12:30 - kids eat lunch in classroom, while I listen to selected students reading to assess improvement and needs
12:40 - yard duty
12:55 - eat lunch, set up for afternoon teaching
1:15 - teaching again - integrated studies or rotations (science/PE/art/LOTE) depending on day
2:15 - time release - students are taught by another teacher so that I can do assessments on individual students and prepare for other lessons
3:10 - end of day routines with students
3:20 - dismiss students and wait with them until all are collected by students. Back to the classroom to clean up, put away today's resources and organise tomorrow's resources.
Some time between 4:15 and 5:15 - sign out and leave for the day. Drive home with beautiful sunsets or cosy rain and stormy skies.
Some time between 5:00 and 6:00 - arrive home and eat dinner that was prepared by my wonderful mother. Sit in front of the heater or telly and do daily review and more lesson preparations. Finding it hard to think by this stage, so not very productive.
Some time between 9:30 and 10:30 - crawl into bed.