One Week Down, Four to Go
Jun. 20th, 2010 08:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bookaddict88(Cross-posted from my TFA blog)
The first week of Institute is over! It’s been an exhausting ride, particularly since I went home for 24 hours for my sister’s graduation in the middle of it. (Driving 6 hours on 3 hours sleep is probably not a good idea, and locking my keys in the car afterward was an even worse one, since it cost me $130!)I worked harder last week than I’ve ever worked in my life. We get up at 5am to make the bus before 6:40am. We’ve then been at school until 5pm, and most days had other sessions even after that back on campus. And then we had lesson plans and other planning or work to do after that. Sleep happens only in short amounts!
Despite all that, however, I’ve actually been enjoying Institute quite a bit. I work almost non-stop, and my brain hurts because I’ve learned so much at a breathtaking pace in order to be ready to teach this week for the first time. But what I’m learning is so interesting and applicable to what I’ll be doing, not to mention the fact that it all has a purpose. It’s not been easy, and it’s not going to get easier, but it’s definitely worth it.
There are a few things that have helped me get through this week successfully. First, there are all the people at TFA who work with me and teach me. My advisor (CMA) is always there for me if I have questions, and my curriculum specialist (CS) and literacy specialist (LS) are great and teach me a ton. My Faculty Advisor (FA) already seems really nice, though I’ve only met her a few times (once when I ran into her at Subway!). My CMA group, who I share my CMA with, are immensely supportive (they helped keep me from freaking out when I locked my keys in the car!). My collab group, who I will be teaching with, is insanely awesome. I know some people have been having trouble with their groups, but mine gets along really well, works hard, and were all understanding when I abandoned them for a day to go home. Secondly, my Tulsa corps is amazing. We have fun together, support one another, and help each other out. I’m so excited to spend the next two years with these people! Finally, there’s the kids. I’ve already met a couple of the 2nd graders that I will be teaching math and reading to this summer, and I love them already. Some are REALLY behind in one subject or both, so I really want to help them all I can this summer!
Tomorrow’s my first day teaching! Because of where I fall in the rotation, I’m mostly just going to be doing Rules/Rewards/Consequences, Procedures, and Get to Know You activities for the first couple of days. I don’t start teaching academic content until Wednesday. I’ll let you know how all this goes!
The first week of Institute is over! It’s been an exhausting ride, particularly since I went home for 24 hours for my sister’s graduation in the middle of it. (Driving 6 hours on 3 hours sleep is probably not a good idea, and locking my keys in the car afterward was an even worse one, since it cost me $130!)I worked harder last week than I’ve ever worked in my life. We get up at 5am to make the bus before 6:40am. We’ve then been at school until 5pm, and most days had other sessions even after that back on campus. And then we had lesson plans and other planning or work to do after that. Sleep happens only in short amounts!
Despite all that, however, I’ve actually been enjoying Institute quite a bit. I work almost non-stop, and my brain hurts because I’ve learned so much at a breathtaking pace in order to be ready to teach this week for the first time. But what I’m learning is so interesting and applicable to what I’ll be doing, not to mention the fact that it all has a purpose. It’s not been easy, and it’s not going to get easier, but it’s definitely worth it.
There are a few things that have helped me get through this week successfully. First, there are all the people at TFA who work with me and teach me. My advisor (CMA) is always there for me if I have questions, and my curriculum specialist (CS) and literacy specialist (LS) are great and teach me a ton. My Faculty Advisor (FA) already seems really nice, though I’ve only met her a few times (once when I ran into her at Subway!). My CMA group, who I share my CMA with, are immensely supportive (they helped keep me from freaking out when I locked my keys in the car!). My collab group, who I will be teaching with, is insanely awesome. I know some people have been having trouble with their groups, but mine gets along really well, works hard, and were all understanding when I abandoned them for a day to go home. Secondly, my Tulsa corps is amazing. We have fun together, support one another, and help each other out. I’m so excited to spend the next two years with these people! Finally, there’s the kids. I’ve already met a couple of the 2nd graders that I will be teaching math and reading to this summer, and I love them already. Some are REALLY behind in one subject or both, so I really want to help them all I can this summer!
Tomorrow’s my first day teaching! Because of where I fall in the rotation, I’m mostly just going to be doing Rules/Rewards/Consequences, Procedures, and Get to Know You activities for the first couple of days. I don’t start teaching academic content until Wednesday. I’ll let you know how all this goes!
