Thoughts from a Student Teacher Week Four

I’ve decided that student teaching is an emotional roller coaster. At least it is for me at the middle school. The first week I was pretty scared of 7^th graders and what I was seeing at the school, the second and third week I became excited and thought it would be amazing if I could get a job there for the fall, then this week I had doubts about even becoming a teacher. I think part of it was I was exhausted and emotionally vulnerable and I believe Satan was using this opportunity to attack, but God is good and He daily reminds me of how He loves me and that He is walking with me.

I was also able to express my feelings to Mrs. T who, though not my official mentor teacher, helps me just as much, or more than Mrs. C. She gave me a hug and told me what I was feeling was normal and that in the end I would know what I was supposed to do. This pair of ladies is a blessing to me! I don’t know what I would do without them!

I had an interesting conversation with a boy on Monday. My class was paired up to read some expository passages and answer the questions that went along with them. Everyone in the class are struggling readers, but there are a few like this boy, I’ll call him A, that thinks he is a little bit better than everyone else. He complained that his partner, G, was a slow reader and that He should read more than her because she was too slow. G is a sensitive girl who is very quiet and I could not believe that A was picking on her. I took him aside and told him that what he said wasn’t nice and that in our classroom we are supposed to build each other up, not tear them down. I told him I didn’t want to hear him say those things ever again. A was became serious and a little dejected and then he went back over and began to read with G. Looking back, I wish I would have told him to apologize but I didn’t. I hope that this was a learning experience for him and next time he will treat his peers with the kindness they deserve. It felt good that I could invest some time in teaching a life-lesson.