Thursday, August 27, 2009

The First Week

I have decided that part of college is that for 3 years I have been doing absolutly nothing of any value or anything hard. And now that I am 2 semesters from graduating and 1 semester from student teaching my professors have decided to make up for 3 years of nothing worthwhile. I have class for 8 hours on Monday and Wed. 4 hours on Tuesdays (Tues mornings are reserved for catch up and seminars etc). Thursday and Fridays we spend all day in the schools. In 3 days I got 6 6 page syllabi (plural for syllabus). Signed up for 8 group projects. Got assigned 150 pages of reading due next week and got student teaching papers to be filled out along with a resume and cover letter and signed up for practicum hours in the school (5 of us ended up in 6th grade in the middle school) Now for 3 years and in high school I have never done said assigned reading. Except now they have decided to hold us accountable. One professor gives quizzes, one makes us come with an activity for each chapter and questions to be turned in. The other we have to keep a journal. So I actually have to read. For 3 years I have had the "correct" format for a lesson plan drilled into my head. And now they don't care we can use whatever format we like. We have been told at least 30 times that classroom management is the key to success. So why for three years have I been taking classes that never touch classroom management ? Now we have 1 semeseter to do it all. I sort of feel like I am cramming for a major test. Except I didn't choose to procrastinate for this one... it just happened. As a side note sitting is the most exhausting thing in the world. To sit in class for so many hours makes me more tired than I have been in a long time. We didn't even do a full week. Monday was a half day and we don't start in the schools until next week. Its going to be a long semester. I picked the wrong time to give up diet coke.

7 comments:

Erin said...

YOU GAVE UP DIET COKE?! ARE YOU CRAZY!?
We tried. We gave up giving up Diet Coke. We are lots nicer when drugged...
Also, I remember the last semester of classes at BYU before I did my internship and you described it perfectly...I'm sorry it's so ick but at least you're almot done!

Dimples said...

Did you know syllabi is not a real word? The academic community made it up to sound more intelligent. The correct pluralization is actually syllabuses. Funny, huh?

Anyway, I'm sorry the block is so crazy! I love you!

P.S. I saw you drinking Diet Coke a few days ago, I'm certain.

Morgan Hagey said...

Yes, Erin is right, don't give it up. NOT WORTH IT. And, while I'm at it, I remember when Erin was doing the very same and we kept making her skip school to go to lunch. She didn't do so great that semester. (REMEMEBER, Nay? The History of San Fransisco class?) Hee hee.

So, come visit. It'll be fun.

Erin said...

I got a C in that class, thankyouverymuch-I was a history MAJOR and I got a C in a history class because you and Maren just couldn't wait and HOUR for me to go and take my quiz...it didn't help that it was on Friday afternoons, seriously, what were they thinking?! Who goes to class on Friday afternoons?
Also, Kirby-I think I have a bunch of books re: classroom management in mom and dad's garage. The BEST one I have ever read (beats Love and Logic everytime) should be in there and at the moment, it's title is escaping me...so, I'll remember and tell you so you can dig it out if you want. :-) Also, do you have the book "The First Days of School" by Harry Wu? If not, it should be there too and you should take it b/c it is awesome and will save your life as a student teacher. Plus, he's funny.
:-) Love you tons! Come to Phoenix to visit!

Erin said...

I remembered! Setting Limits in the Classroom. It's AWESOME. Also, if you can get your hands on a copy, I'd take a look at Classroom Management that Works (Robert Marzano). He is FANTASTIC and generally considered the most relevant of the theorists out there. Any-who. Talk to you later!

BloggingBills said...

Why in heaven's name would you give up diet coke?

The good thing is that in one semester you'll be done. Because student teaching may be the semester from h-e-double hockey sticks, but at least you don't have lame-ness to do.

Remember that I can help. Elementary school teaching is all about keeping little munchkins from killing each other and you and maybe, sometimes, teaching something. Classroom management is the ONLY thing you do, really.

I have Erin's copy of Wong's book. Unfortunately, when Kelsey told the class that, "I'm pretty sure my mom has that book!" they told her to buy it anyway.



MA

Erin said...

Wong-not Wu-I should not blog when tired.