1st Grade Adventures

Wow... it has been a busy week! I've spent the past week and a half in my elementary education practicum, which means I've been assigned to a first grade classroom at a local elementary school and I go there everyday instead of going to class; not that we have any shortage of homework to complete during the practicum however. We have all sorts of observations, sketches, case studies, and papers to do, not to mention preparing lesson plans to teach whatever our mentor teacher tells us to. It is good experience, but I'm not sure I am enjoying it unfortunately. It may be that my mentor teacher doesn't like to answer my questions, or that the students in my class tend to get very off task, or just that I have so many other things going on right now that I am trying to deal with, but I hope it's not that I don't like the profession... because I'm kind of far along in the program to be changing my mind. When I step back and look at it, I like it for the most part... enough to finish it out and do it for a couple of years. And if after I've done it for awhile I decide I don't like it, I'll at least have a degree and be able to do whatever I want. I'm thinking maybe I'll come back and get another degree of some kind... I've been like socio-cultural anthropology lately. Really interesting stuff. Or maybe even psychology or sociology. I don't want to be a psychologist, but I think it is interesting to study for sure.

Anyway, back to the practicum... I have some funny stories :) I've decided that I enjoy children this age in general, but as far as teaching them in a formal setting, I think I'll stick to the upper grades. But as much as I have worried about their runny noses and coughs all over me (I am showing signs today of contracting a cold), I have enjoyed getting to know these 23 six and seven year olds as people. They really do have a lot to offer the world :) Anyway, on my first day, a little girl in the class comes up to me and says, "My name's Ilana, but you can call me tree, because Ilana means tree in French. So if you call me tree that's okay." I just smiled and thanked her. She came up to me again later, and said the same thing, except she switched to some other European language. haha... I had a good laugh over that one. Ilana is a very intelligent student who likes to use big words, and explain everything to everyone. So cute. If she ever messes up or does something inappropriate, she feels horrible and apologizes profusely. The other day at lunch I was walking out to find one of my fellow cohorts to eat with and Ilana found me and began walking with me. After thinking for a moment, she began, "Okay, you can't tell Ryan (a boy in the class) this, or he'll probably kill me." I promised i wouldn't, and after a big deep breath she continued, "I love Ryan, and Ryan loves me!" She said it with guilt in her voice, and it all came out in the same breath... as if it was such a relief to have this burden lifted. "He wrote me a love note, and I wrote him nine love notes in one day," She finished. "Wow... sounds pretty romantic," I said. She affirmed that indeed, it was. Then she ran off to recess. Oh, young love.