OK, so obviously I'm going to need to sharpen my skills when it comes to keeping up with my blog. This is a goal for my first year. I've wanted to write a blog for many years and have lacked the focus I though it needed. Now that I have a primary focus, I must make the serious effort to keep it going. I have followers; this is important.
Last Wednesday, I arrived at the Board of Education office at 8:15 am to experience my first taste of the teaching career I have chosen. I eagerly walked in to the boardroom with a sparkling smile on my face. It felt like the first day of school. Everyone was seated by themselves and not talking to those around them. I recognized a man I knew from my days as office assistant as University Housing in college, and proceeded to sit next to him. Upon further investigation, I discovered he would teaching 11th and 12th grades English at the high school in the county. He is also a first-year teacher.
The time came and the orientation officially began. Topics covered included ethics, assessment, state-mandated testing, sexual harrassment, e-mail, and dress code. And since I've brought up the subject of dress code, let me say I was simply appalled at the clothing these new teachers decided to wear. There were Old Navy flip-flops, tank tops, gym shorts, tennis shoes, and deep v-neck shirts. There were a number of Georgia College and State University John H. Lounsbury College of Education graduates present who were, like me, beginning their teaching career that day. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw how they were dressed as compared to the others in the room; shirts and ties, closed-toe shoes, suits, cardigans, and tops that covered everything. I feel most confident when I am dressed professionally in a professional situation. I was wearing a white, black, and red skirt with a simple black top, minimal jewelry, simple shoes, and that winning sparkly smile I mentioned earlier. This was my chance to make a memorable first impression on many people. Many of these people I have met before and interacted with in several avenues during my student teaching in the county; however, this was my chance to make a new impression on them not as Ms. Herring, student teacher, but Ms. Herring, educator and professional.
After our information meetings, we made our way to lunch where we were supposed to dine with our principals and mentor teachers. As I walked into the lunchroom, I noticed that the principals were sitting at one table, and I was never informed of who my mentor teacher would be. Did they think I didn't need one since I had been at the school, in the grade level and subject the year before? Or did they think I didn't need an assigned mentor teacher because I was working in an inclusive classroom with another, more-experienced teacher? I didn't know and I haven't had a chance to ask. However, I have been utilizing many teachers in my grade and on my hallway as resources for anything from where I can get a desk with drawers to how can I get my Promethean board connected to my computer. They have all been extremely supportive.
My first official day of pre-planning, last Thursday, was overwhelming and definitely information overloaded, I'll be honest. I drove home admist tears overflowing from my eyes. I found relief in a nap upon arriving home. Friday was much, much better, in every sense. I attended a new teachers meeting with the principals, where I discovered I was the only first-year teacher in the entire school; this was both scary and exciting at the same time. I was also the only new teacher present at the meeting who had previously had experience in the school and the county system.
I have slowly begun to make the transition from student teacher to educator. I am feeling more and more professional every day. This is feeling more and more real every day.
Tomorrow is Open House. I finally get to meet my kids for the year, and maybe more importantly, their parents and guardians. Slowly my room has come together but it still needs some work.
This year is going to be a year of trial and error; trial and adjustment, really. I am living the dream. This is a dream ten years in the making. I am teaching the very grade level where ten years ago I decided I wanted to teach middle school. This is an awe-inspiring moment for me, and I hope this feeling continues.
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