Half a year into a new position & I’m getting a pre-intern. In “OK Education Speak”, this means that I’ve been paired with a college student for 50 hours of observations & a single-taught lesson prior to their student teaching. If the pairing works out, the student stays with me for their internship (student teaching).
I’m pumped.
Really, really pumped.
You know that commercial with Ickey Woods doing a celebratory dance at the deli counter? Yep, but I’m the 5’6″ skinny 30-something white girl version. “Woo-hoo! I’ve got an intern!” (Yeah, somehow not as cool as Ickey).
I love watching someone grow and master all those little (non-testable) pieces that go into being an educator. Like a version of Victor Frankenstein, I love helping piece together the best parts of what makes someone go into my field and building a fire under them so they are arriving each day with a bounce in their step ready to shout “let’s do this!”
Can you imagine a building full of teachers, principals, counselors, & support staff that agree with that (and if you are in one, my Twitter handle is @STLinOK – hit me up!)???
It drives me absolutely bat-shite crazy when I hear things that suggest I am still passionate about my career because I haven’t been teaching long enough or that I just haven’t met the right kids yet.
…you read that right. I’m apparently still passionate because I haven’t met the right kid to ruin that passion. (?!?!) This is usually the point where I just smile brightly, chuckle, & quickly beat feet away from the cancerous Debbie Downer. ‘Cause honey, I’ve got one decade down, I plan to sink a couple more before I walk away, & I dream of the madness growing with each passing year.
The reality is that those very kids are the ones that are the most rewarding. Let me repeat that: THE ONES THAT ARE HARDEST TO REACH ARE THE MOST REWARDING. I don’t teach AP. Mostly because I know that the parts of “me” that reach kids are most often the aspects that AP kiddos can function just fine without & that other populations do respond to. So I actively avoid those discussions about me and AP or virtual teaching; I feel I’m most effective with the “goofballs”, the “trouble makers”, the “strugglers” & your plain old “average” kiddos. Besides, I’m still confused about how what you teach says about how well you teach in general, but that’s a discussion for another day…
After two days together, I think this pre-intern is going to be awesomesause. She is what my husband, a profession chef, would call “hungry”. She’s excited, wants to learn, & most importantly, she wants this to go well. She has this rocking mindset that gets me excited. Two days in and we’re co-planning a unit for next month & I’m excited to use her lesson ideas.
She reminds me of the perfect response to the following statement one coworker said just today: “You can’t show up every day dressed as a pirate.”
… Wanna bet? 😉
Chicken Little Out
MaraudingMentor 