As the end of the semester
approaches, I find myself off in LaLa land thinking about graduation, summer,
Rites of Spring, Beach week, and all the other exciting things we have going on
in the upcoming month. When we started
first placement, I felt like I was on my A game. I had all my lesson plans
written during the weekends, worksheets ready to be copy, and really was ready
for anything. I had my lunch packed and scheduled in time for the gym and even,
if I was lucky, a nap. My schedule was so neat and everything had to get done.
Now, I’ve hit a wall. I am flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to
making lunch, getting dressed, planning my weeks. Lesson plans seem never
ending. I am getting lesson plans in 24 hours in advance, but I feel like I’m
always playing catch up between work, student teaching, and trying to live up
my last month as a senior. Does anybody else feel like they got the dreaded
senoritis? How are you handling it? Any words of advice on how to keep myself
on task or reduce the extreme amounts of procrastinating I find myself doing?
About ten minutes before I read your post I was watching episodes of The Dog Whisperer instead of writing lesson plans. I have definitely caught the senioritis bug! I can feel your pain! What's helped me through it is to focus on my kids--you are planning the lessons for them. Granted, that means I still struggle with more collegiate things like writing reflections or blogging, but at least it helps me with the lesson plans.
ReplyDeleteI did not start of the beginning of the semester as on top of everything, so I don’t feel like I have fallen so far behind. But I definitely understand the increased difficulty in getting assignments done when it is warm and the sun is shining. While there are always more lessons to plan, I feel like lessons have become much easier/faster to plan this semester. Recently, I have been turning more in 24 hours before, but I think part of the “problem” is that I am teaching more units and constantly have to adjust my lessons based on what we achieve the day(s) before. The weeks when I do plan my lessons out for the whole week never end up looking like I originally planned. We spend more/less time on some activities, or random events that take up class time pop up into our schedule. While you shouldn’t rely on planning everything last minute, I think sometimes it makes the lessons more productive when you plan specific closer to the day you are teaching.
ReplyDeleteI totally get what you're going through...except a little bit of the opposite. It has been a constant struggle for me, this semester, to keep up with the 'student' part of student teaching, the 'professional' part of student teaching, my extra curricular offices, AND a social life. Especially as I live in my sorority house, I have found it really difficult to maintain sanity as my friends pull me in one direction and student teaching pulls me in another. One of the best things that I have found to keep my on track, focused, and with my 'A-game' is setting small goals. I know we did this for both placements, but I radically changed the types of goals I was setting for myself the second time around, and it made all the difference. Little things like setting aside just 2 hours a night to revise my plans, make lunch for the next day, and pick out my clothes radically prepared me and made things so much less hectic the next day. Putting aside time to exercise also kept me from wandering off to the TV room all day to chat and lay around unproductively. GOOD LUCK! We are SO close!
ReplyDeleteI totally get what you're going through...except a little bit of the opposite. It has been a constant struggle for me, this semester, to keep up with the 'student' part of student teaching, the 'professional' part of student teaching, my extra curricular offices, AND a social life. Especially as I live in my sorority house, I have found it really difficult to maintain sanity as my friends pull me in one direction and student teaching pulls me in another. One of the best things that I have found to keep my on track, focused, and with my 'A-game' is setting small goals. I know we did this for both placements, but I radically changed the types of goals I was setting for myself the second time around, and it made all the difference. Little things like setting aside just 2 hours a night to revise my plans, make lunch for the next day, and pick out my clothes radically prepared me and made things so much less hectic the next day. Putting aside time to exercise also kept me from wandering off to the TV room all day to chat and lay around unproductively. GOOD LUCK! We are SO close!
ReplyDeleteI agree! Especially since my lesson plans are no longer the longer template! However, because I am so used to teaching now, I feel like my lessons do not need to be as in depth or planned out. I am getting much better at teaching "at the fly," and thinking of things on the spot if things do not go as well. This makes me feel a lot better actually because I know that in the future I will not have an issue with this. My mentor teacher sometimes plans what she is teaching that day, that morning when she comes in. Sometimes, she goes around and asks for suggestions from the other teachers or will completely change what she wants to do an hour before. Therefore, my not as in depth lessons or last minute changes does not worry me!
ReplyDeleteI agree! Especially since my lesson plans are no longer the longer template! However, because I am so used to teaching now, I feel like my lessons do not need to be as in depth or planned out. I am getting much better at teaching "at the fly," and thinking of things on the spot if things do not go as well. This makes me feel a lot better actually because I know that in the future I will not have an issue with this. My mentor teacher sometimes plans what she is teaching that day, that morning when she comes in. Sometimes, she goes around and asks for suggestions from the other teachers or will completely change what she wants to do an hour before. Therefore, my not as in depth lessons or last minute changes does not worry me!
ReplyDeleteWhen I lack motivation I tell myself that I am responsible for these kids. It's not like it's a term paper or a test where really the results only matter to me. If I want to do sub-parrly on those it is my choice. But when I have kids depending on me my work becomes not a choice but a duty. Now, there is joy in duty, but it is hard. And it's hard living in the two worlds of finishing college well and doing student teaching well. It is valuable to spend time with my friends I have had for four years and I will not see regularly for many, many years to come. I have a responsibility to them as well as to my students. And it's hard to go to bed on time when I have not had enough alone time that day. So, yes--ending college well and ending student teaching well is tough. And I've let fatigue keep me from seeing friends in the evening, and I've felt the burden of choosing between my friends and adequate sleep. But, hey, we made it! And I think, on the whole, we've done a decent job.
ReplyDelete