I'm still here!

So, it's been a lot longer than I intended. What can I say, life gets in the way sometimes.

This fool blog is called the Pagan English Teacher...so I think it's high time I talked about teaching! I'm currently doing my final teaching practicum (that's student teaching in lay terms) at the high school I graduated from. I have to say it's been a bit of a wild ride so far. Several of my old teachers are still around, and I have a family friend who works there as well. Makes for some interesting interactions speaking to people who used to teach me, about teaching. But truthfully I'm so much more comfortable there than at my last practicum school. Maybe it's a comfort zone thing, maybe it's the fact that I'm with people who know me, I'm not really sure.

Compared to my first practicum, where I am now is very different. At this point last time, I was winding down. I only had two weeks left. The classes were mostly working on final projects and we were watching movies or doing a lot of group work. Now, I feel like I'm just getting started because I'm only just starting to teach my own material (poetry unit!). I have 5 weeks left and I'm wondering if I will have time to get through what I want to. I planned it all out last night and it's looking like a solid no on that front. But, such is life.

I've found that I'm also more comfortable in front of the classes. Even today, I had my first class of grade 9, and even though I didn't know them and the seemed to be pushing boundaries a bit I felt ok being in front of them. Although I have to say I did lose track of my thoughts a few times due to noise level, but hopefully I can figure out a way to deal with that.

This practicum is going so much better than the first one and I am so grateful for that. I feel more confident in my abilities as a teacher in terms of content as well as practice. Even though I know I still have some work to do with classroom management, transitions and executing activities so students stay engaged. I guess I'll just have to see how it goes, and hopefully I will improve, pass, and get certified. From there it's finding a job, moving out and starting real life. I have to say, I am looking forward to it!

That's all for now.

Cheers

Sláinte

Skol