First Day of Teaching

I haven’t posted in a while, and I apologize.  I know you’re all waiting on the edges of your seats for my posts, but I’ve been a little busy lately.  Here’s why:

I started my very first teaching job today (if you discount the week of training I did last week).  It was crazy how quickly my brain switched right back into the teacher mode that student teaching put me into.  One minute I was freaking out, the next I was calling out students, making terrible teacher jokes, and going off on tangents so my lesson plan would last the full 50 minutes.  It was kind of cool. 

A few things I learned/remembered today:

-I pace when I teach.  Like, a lot.  My classroom has the desks along the sides and a nice little path down the middle (“A path!  A path!”), and I took FULL advantage of that path.  I was speedwalking back and forth while telling student exciting stories about Tesla versus Edison, the NASA scientist who claims to have invented a warp drive (yeah, no), and the chickens that we made grow teeth.  And while I like to think that I’m in pretty good shape, I am SORE!  I guess pacing for 8 hours is a little more strenuous than running for one.

-I already have students exactly like the ones I student taught, and I think that’s going to happen every year.  It’s kind of strange how similar some of my students are to past students.  They sit in similar places in the class, make similar comments, and some of them even look similar.  Do any teachers read this blog that could back me up on this?  Like, are all students clones?

-I may have already made a few kids hate me, but I honestly think it’s going to be better for the class in the long run.  In student teaching I started off as a huge pushover, and I paid for it.  This time around I decided that I am an adult, I know what I’m talking about, and gosh darnit, I deserve to be respected!  So I called students out, made them change seats, and said in no uncertain terms that if they messed around at all during labs I would kick them out of my class (maybe permanently).  It was kind of exciting to see the fear in their eyes when I got serious.

-There is a TON of administration that goes into teaching.  Like, you don’t just get to teach a class and ignore the rest of the school.  ESPECIALLY not in a charter like mine.  I forgot about that.

-I am super ADD.  I was bouncing all over the place, from tangent to tangent.  I wore some rubber bracelets (I call them my fidget bands) so I wouldn’t be popping marker caps like I tend to do, but I ended up popping caps anyways.  I even climbed up on a chair and did the crane pose at one point.  If I were my student I really wouldn’t know how to react to me.  The worst parts were when my mind was jumping all over the place and I’d forget what I was talking about…I’d just stare at the students for a little bit, trying to get my train of thought back.  And no, it wasn’t just nerves.  If you’ve been around me for longer than an hour, you’ve probably realized that I’m all over the place.  It’s ridiculous.

-I really do love teaching.  Maybe it’s just my need for attention, but I loved seeing excitement in the kids’ eyes as I told them science stories and some of the awesome things that are happening in the science world right now.  I had teenagers entranced and asking questions and gasping and getting fully involved in discussions.  Teenagers, people!  It’s quite the rush.  Teaching honestly is rewarding, and even invigorating at times (and also the most draining thing in the world at other times).

So, yeah.  I’m a bona fide teacher.  I’m a grown-up with a salary.  I have hundreds of kids whose educations depend on me.  It’s terrifying and exciting and challenging and I’m remembering how much I love it.  Check back with me in a few months though :P