Every day we have thousands of decisions to make. To eat healthy, or to eat junk food. To take a nap, or to excersize. To do homework, or to watch TV/get on the internet. To use our "me" time" to serve others, or just to do something for ourselves. Some days we make all the wrong ones. Some days we make all the right ones. But I think most of the time it's a combination of both.
Anyways, lots going on right now, my head is spinning. I have SO MUCH HOMEWORK!!! I am struggling to keep up and what I'm turning in is often rushed and not fully developed because I have so much I just have to push through it as fast as possible. I feel like most of what we do in college is just jumping through hoops. Sure you get a lot of good information, helpful information that will benefit you in your career, but I think a lot of it is a waste of time. The first two and a half years of general education classes are a waste of time. It's not like any of that sticks in our head unless we use it often, especially if we were to be asked three years from now. Also, for example, right now my class on special needs students in the regular classroom is very helpful. It's practical, useful, and realistic. We will have students with autism, ADD, ADHD, etc. in our regular classrooms and need to be educated on it, how to modify our teaching, how to handle behavior problems, etc. So, awesome. How to teach reading - very useful classes.
Ok so my measurement and geometry class - not useful. We are learning in depth things about geometry that is above what we learned in high school, and I don't think much if any of it will be used in an elementary setting. Yes they will need to know the basics like how to identify the shapes and stuff, but some of the stuff we're learning is rediculous. I want to cry every time I'm in that math class. The teacher's a great teacher and I like how she doesn't just lecture to us while we take notes, she is interactive and mixes things up, but the material itself just kills me. Likewise, I don't remember hardly anything I learned in my previous math classes that were specifically for early childhood. Sigh. I am fully aware that with a certified degree in teaching we need to be geniuses at every subject because we'll be teaching every subject, but there are some things that we will be able to use other resources to help us teach. Text books, websites, online lesson plans, books, etc.
On the topic of teaching, I'm so looking forward to being a teacher. But I know that I have an unrealistic view of it. My excitment and optimisim outweighs my fears, but I have both. I worry that I won't be a good teacher, I won't like the job, I won't be able to control the class, the students will all fail, I'll have behavior problems I won't be able to deal with, I won't finish all the material I need to get done in a year, etc. But most of the time I have this unrealistic hope of being an amazing teacher that all the kids love, all the parents love, they all learn with leaps and bounds, and I love waking up each morning to go to work. I'm aware that in reality it will fall somewhere between those two and maybe I'll have times of both, but I'm still looking forward to it nonetheless. I've seen movies such as Freedom Writers, Front of the Class, etc. and teachers that have become nationally known in the education field for being such great teachers and using great methods like Brad Cohen (a teacher with tourettes syndrome), Ron Clark, etc. and think how cool would it be if I was like that. Or got the first teacher of the year award. You know? I want to love the teachers I work with, love the students, love grading papers.....be filled with excitement. I haven't really liked any of my part time jobs I've had, even the ones I started out excited about or looking forward to. One good thing is that I know a lot of teachers who DO love their job, even 20 years later.
Besides being weighted down by homework, classes, and field experience in the preschool, and all of that taking up most of my waking moments, I am pushing to keep some fun times in my life. I had the high school girls from my church over to my house last Saturday night and we played games for like 3 hours and it was so much fun!! There were only a few able to come and all the others wanted to, so I'm thinking we'll do it like once a month. That'd be cool. I laughed so hard that I cried! Good times.
I bought the Wii and wii fit plus on ebay finally - my early valentines day present to myself, haha - and it's been fun!! I don't think it's meant to really lose weight on it because after an hour of "working out" on it you only work off like 150 caleries, but it does work on your balance, posture, stretching, yoga, muscle strength, etc. So far so good!
In bible study we're reading a book by Francis Chan called, "Forgotten God" about the holy spirit and it's a great book so far! And bible study has been good. Baby-sitting has been going well too, but not quite getting in all the hours I need due to random things like days the kids don't have school or activities going on, relatives in town, kids being sick, just randomly not needing me for something, etc. But I'm applying to get another teacher scholarship from Georgia for next year - I agreed to teach 2 years in GA to get money for this past year and I've gotten the money both semesters, and I am applying to teach for 2 more years for money this upcoming semester. I don't think I'll want to move out of Georgia in the next 4 years!! So hopefully the application goes through alright.
I'm going to see a comedian in Tennessee next weekend with the women of my church, and that should be fun! The bus ride up and back, dinner, etc. I don't know most of the going and most are a lot older than me, but some are younger. I'm also going to a thing called Snow Mountain the following weekend - a huge hill covered with fake snow (because GA rarely gets real snow) and you slide down on big intertubes with a partner and I went last year and it was so fun!! I'm going as an adult for the youth at my church. The fun part is sometimes it's not even freezing, so you can not suffer in the 10 degree weather but still play in the snow! Good times! :-)
