Back to Really Working

I've had an intern working in my classroom for the past four weeks. She did all of the planning, teaching, assessing, and grading. I went in a observed a handful of times. The rest of the time, I was out of my classroom. I observed in first and second grades, I delivered literary magazines to numerous classrooms around the school, I organized some books in the reading room, and I read blogs. I haven't figured out how I'm going to keep up with my blog reading as I return to the classroom. Actually doing the job I'm being paid for seems daunting now. Fortunately, a new intern will start his time in my room in December and take over for four weeks in April. I can't wait!

Changed for the Better

I am in pre-mourning. My intern will be leaving after Thanksgiving. T-24 days. T-16 school days.* I am not sure I know how to teach without an intern.

An intern forced discipline on me - I had to: talk through my thoughts; justify my choices; grade assessments on a regular schedule; and keep an organized classroom. Lazy teaching was not an option. However, my mind grew accustomed to the "What abouts?" "What ifs?" and "Tell me mores." I found myself energized about teaching and excited about lesson planning; the classroom became a club house.

The questions became conversation: "We should trys." "Wouldn't be cool if wes?" "Next time, we shoulds." We found ourselves suppressing giggles in class, rehashing (mostly re-enacting) our highs of the day, convincing our students that we could tell each other mind jokes. We became a team.

I know the dance moves for teaching alone. I can say my lines and jazz my hands. I will high step and kick ball change. But the stage will be lonely; I will miss the big musical numbers of team teaching.

*These days might be off. As I have said before, I am a slow writer. It might be T - a week now.

Lucky Teacher

I'm ready to try the picture idea. I think some of the best teaching that has happened in my classroom all year happened while I was on maternity leave. Our amazing reading teacher did a punctuation unit in writing with our class and I can't believe what they accomplished. One thing she had them do was survey adults around the school about their use of punctuation. The students came up with the questions, surveyed the adults, and presented their findings. It's brilliant! My students have never been so excited about punctuation - or so thoughtful about it.