The wonderful adventures of Kate

As I sit here and watch hell’s kitchen with a puppy on me as my form of relaxation, I am really thinking back about today and not the television program.  Today was a fail in the scale of successful lessons.  My kids weren’t engaged and they weren’t engaged yesterday by the lack of preparation.  Am I not preparing them for their activities?  Am I finding activities that are over their heads?  What can I do to get them to not just sit and stare at me for forty minutes.  I find myself asking this question, and I refuse to blame anyone in the situation.  I will not be the student teacher who blames the students for not finding interest in my lessons.  But I also refuse to completely blame myself and wallow.  I’ve tried being more prepared with questions.  I’m working on making more meaningful personal connections.  Tomorrow will be a new activity that will hopefully perk fire’s interest.  I will walk into class like it is my first day teaching, with a bright smile on my face and maybe, just maybe, they will talk.

My cooperating teacher said something inspiring yesterday.  Don’t teach for the whole class, just teach for one student.  If one student gets something out of it, you haven’t failed.  That’s not a direct quote, and I might be embellishing, but it’s what I need to keep thinking to get out of bed at the crack of dawn to face my fears again.  Tomorrow, hostess face on no matter what.  I’m doing an activity that I LOVE.  Hopefully my student’s love it too.  If not, I’ll just try again next week to engage them.  I will not give up.