So I don't really know who reads this, but I thought I'd take a few minutes to write about the things I've been up to mostly so I have some form of a journal. I'm majoring in Health Education with a Chemistry Teaching minor. I really thought that I would like to be a high school teacher, but the more time I spend in middle schools I think that being around kids is what I really want to do and it doesn't matter where I teach as long as I can get a job! This semester has been the first one where they have allowed me to be teaching the kids and I have to admit it's kinda scary and a lot harder that what I thought! I realized that I have so much to learn about being a teacher. I really thought that it was a skill that just came naturally and I would be so great at it and every student would connect with me....WRONG! I actually have to try really hard to keep their attention, and I've also learned that my high stress personality isn't good for this. If you want students to respect you, you really have to relax and be approachable because they pick up on your stress. I thought about my favorite teachers growing up and the main theme was I felt comfortable in their presence and they had very high expectations for my achievement. So I'm learning, but I realized that this is all for my best good. In a way striving to become a better teacher has really strengthened my testimony because Christ was the greatest teacher of all and I can learn to be more like him by striving to learn how to love and take care of his sheep in my classroom. What I do is just the coolest! Serious it is! It took me a long time to realize that I didn't need a high paying and highly esteemed job to make me happy. Helping my students really does make me happy. Today, I helped a student with a severe learning disability take his test, I had to read the test aloud several times and give many examples of things. I had patience that I didn't know that I had, but they kid pulled it off and did great! He got an A on the test which helped pull his grade from a D- to a C-. I can't tell you the joy I felt for him and the encouragement I had to keep going!
