The whole point of my starting this blog was to keep a running journal of my first year as a teacher. Everything is so new and I’m learning so much that I really wanted to write it down so I can refer back to it. Unfortunately, I’m working so hard at being a new teacher that I have no time to blog. Kind of defeats the purpose doesn’t it?? Anyway, I’m going to make a real effort to keep this up. Maybe I should end my days here. Before I leave school I could log on write out how the day went and not the things I have to do. Maybe I’ll try that. After Thanksgiving break that is 
I have the next 5 days off. Yea!!! When I go back I have my final observation on Monday and my exit interview on Tuesday and I will be done with the teaching certification. All I will need then is to write my thesis and my masters will be complete. Yea!!! I’m a happy camper.
Overall my classes have been going pretty well. I’m relaxing more and really having fun with them. I’m also not freaking out so much over lesson plans. I have a general idea in my head of what I want to do and I can usually find something fun to do with it. In my certification classes they beat into our heads that we have to have a detailed lesson plan well before we are to teach it. I am rapidly discovering that doesn’t work for me. I find that if I lay out a general plan, on day 1 I’ll cover this, on day 2 I’ll cover that, etc, and then I prep the details the night before it works better for me. I guess because I can tap into how I’m feeling and where the class is at when I plan closer to the delivery.
Since I brought down the hammer in my chemistry classes things have been going better. There is still talking but they seem to be more engaged so that’s good. I gave a test and overall it went pretty well, though I did misjudge the time factor. They did not have enough time in one class to finish the test so I had to hold it over for another class. Ah well, that is what this year is all about right?
After this 5 day break we have 2 1/2 weeks of class, 3 days of tests and then we are done!!! Christmas break!!! I can not believe how quickly the time passed. I also understand why teachers have so much time off. First, the amount of planning that goes into teaching is enormous. Weeknights, weekends, holidays, it’s really incredibly how much I work at this job. Secondly, teaching is exhausting. I’ve said it before, it’s like being on stage for 5 classes a day but also all the other stuff. There are times I find myself reading emails, planning what I’m going to do, talking to 4 students, all at the same time. Administration wants this, students need this, I have to pee!!!!! It gets crazy. Those moments when I find myself alone in my room I usually collapse into my chair for a few minutes. It is definitely not like regular jobs where you have slow periods or you can take a breather whenever you need to. In teaching you have to be on when the students show up regardless of how you are feeling. It takes a lot out of you.
So that’s my life for the last couple of weeks. I’m going to make a real effort to post on here at least every other day, but we’ll see how it goes for the next 3 weeks.