Spring 2011 comes to a close

So today was pretty much a bittersweet one. It was the last day of one of my classes. This means I'm one step closer (and only 2 classes away) to my status as a certified teacher. This upcoming school year, I plan on landing a job in some school district. I have the confidence and the faith that will ultimately put me in my own classroom come August 2011. I cannot bear to enter someone else's classroom day after day. I enjoy subbing to a certain extent and I am thankful for all the preparation that I have received as a substitute teacher over this past year. I have built a camaraderie with the teachers and staff at the schools that I frequent and hopefully one of those will have an opening in my area. If not, then I am willing to take my talents to another school or even district that is in need. For now I am done with the required courses that my mentor teaches so I will not be enjoying her lectures anymore. Upon leaving her class I told her that she would not see me in one of her classes again until I enter the Master's program. She told me that I should really think carefully about what I would like to pursue in terms of my Master's degree and that I should look into Educational Leadership. This thought has honestly crossed my mind for a brief second but now that she has mentioned it, I have really started thinking about it. First things first is this job search to get my own classroom :)

A New Day

I woke up telling myself that today would be different. I say it with conviction in my heart and it worked. Having a mentor in any profession goes a long way. Having a mentor in the teaching profession has really helped me. When there are times that I seem misguided or questions that I cannot seem to answer alone, my mentor comes in very handy. Today I shared a story with my mentor. I am a substitute teacher and everyday I encounter different situations that add new tools to my toolbox. I am currently getting certified to teach Special Education grades 1-12 but I have always been leaning towards teaching the lower grades (PreK-2). Because of this preference I accept jobs that are in this range. When I arrived at the elementary school this morning, I was informed that I would be needed to sub for a fifth grade class instead. I usually prepare myself and my bag of tricks for the grade that I will be subbing in that day. I was supposed to sub in a 1st grade class so the tricks and activities that I had packed would not help any in a fifth grade class. I was a bit apprehensive about the new assignment because I was suddenly thrust into the room with minutes to spare before the students arrived. My day went off very well and I was surprised by how well I did with the little that I was given. The students responded to me very well and they even asked if I would be back to sub for them. I shared this story with a lot of added details, with my mentor this evening and she told me that she was not surprised by this outcome. She said that I should look into teaching the upper elementary grades because I have a talent for earning the trust of these kids. Now I am wondering if this is true and how I feel about this. It feels great when someone has faith in you and your abilities and it makes me want to work harder than ever. I will start to take on substitute jobs for these middle grades and see what happens...