Dear Blog,

{my other friend, me, Anna}

I am sorry that I am ignoring you. It has been hecka busy lately and I just don't feel the urge to write. Anna (my best friend from HS) has come to live with me for four days every week this whole month. She is doing her rotations for her internship and doesn't want to drive home (which is an hour away) every night. It is fun to have her. It means really good times laughing and talking and singing to Glee and reminiscing, but not enough time doing my lesson plans and concentrating on my homework and writing on you. I love her though. Last night is exactly what I needed to relax. We went to a museum. We made chicken Alfredo pizza. We watched our missed Glee episode. We went and stood in the rain and then had our own water fight. Joy. (I had another friend join us as well.)

Oh and teaching, blog, well...

Teaching has become more and more just an extremely interesting experience. How naive I went into the classroom with my idealistic philosophies of education. It is a completely different experience studying how to teach students and doing it. I feel I am more student than teacher, for they teach me everyday what I do wrong. There is a universal truth that students don't stay on task 100% of the time and the concept of silence is almost laughable. (I've been tempted more than once to follow Mother's advice and carry around a yardstick and every once in a while slam it on the table.)

The dynamics and the enormous amount of responsibility overwhelm me often. I feel like a mother hen with all my little chicks chirping "Ms. Hansen, Ms. Hansen, Ms. Hansen!" I say "sit down" a million times in a day. And of course, "I'm waiting." I repeat myself over and over. I learned the names of those who've tried my patient and still trying to master those who are quiet and cooperative. All the techniques I learned in my methods classes at college don't seem to come to my head when facing 30 students all with different needs and personalities. There are so many situations that I've never thought about. I'm learning to relax. Learning is a noisy, sometimes messy experience. It is tough. I can't hear myself think and I forget to follow the discipline actions outlined. I just want to get through my content wanting my students to listen rather than do. I am recognizing now that activity is good and I'm becoming a "tough" women in implementing discipline.

I am learning that teaching takes place in a dynamic environment with extreme variables that I must monitor and try to adjust to. I am simply directing students in pursuit of their own education. Teaching is definitely an adventure. Every day is different, every situation new.

But that is why I've been really busy blog. I am sorry for the neglect.
Love,
Ms. Hansen (a.k.a Kendra Sue)