Got my placement!

I am student teaching in the 3rd grade at Andersen Elementary home of the astronauts ;-)
Now student teaching feels real. And I am feeling very exciting to start.

Back in the fall of 2004 I took my first class - intro to education. That was the first class I ever really liked. I remember thinking how scary and intimidating student teaching seemed. I tried not to worry about it but I did wonder how will I be able to do it. I am so glad that I no longer feel that way. I guess if I did then teaching is not something I should be doing.

Knowing that I am going to be teaching 3rd grade brings back some memories.

My own 3rd grade experience was the worst. I had Mrs. Swanson who i dubbed "Mrs. Swanson the Wicked Witch of the West". She was simply awful. I remember she would grab the back of my neck and my wrist and dig in with her finger nails (which hurt!) while dragging me to some room near the front office. She would make me sit in their for hours (unsupervised). It was this empty room about the size of a large walk in closet with a long table and a chair. At the time I didn't know that this was wrong. But, looking back it totally infuriates me and makes me want to cry. Was I a difficult student, probably. I certainly did not deserve to be abused - no child does. I hate the fact that I didn't get her into trouble. I hate that I was lead to feel that "I was the problem". 3rd grade sucked for me. At least with my own personal experience it gives me empathy for those students who other teachers will dub "good luck with him/her" and I can find the good in them and help them be the best they can. Everyone has good in them.