New semester, new year, new attitude

(Yes, I know it's been awhile...)

This semester started off at a running pace! I was so relaxed and stress-free during the Christmas/New Year break, so I was completely unprepared for the break-neck speeds of my classes! I was thinking that since 2 of my 4 classes are hybrid (some classtime, but mostly online work), it would be a breeze. Not!

This semester I am taking a Math class which has completely tedious, "busy-work" type of assignments. My teacher is very sweet, but wants a lot of hands-on work from us. It took me a couple of weeks to get into the groove, but I think I am caught up at last.

I'm also taking an ESOL class with another very sweet teacher. This is the second class I've had with the teacher, so I thought I knew what to expect. However, since its the sequel class it is much more in depth (read: more work!). But after getting through the tough weeks, I am back on track!

My third class is Classroom Management/Organization. We had a pretty big paper/presentation due in the 3rd week which is the cause of most of my disorganization and poor planning. This class was sort of the wake-up call that told me, "Get organized!". The teacher is very nice and we only have to actually go to class once a month. The rest is discussion board posting and responding. We have another major project due in April and I am already planning ahead!

The last class I'm taking is strictly observation in the field. I have to spend a total of 80 hours observing and writing about my observations. It sounds like a lot, but I'm looking at it as the constant reminder of how rewarding my future career will be. This is just the little step that I have to take to get there.

Today was my first observation day and I almost completely dropped the ball. I've been working really hard to go to bed early and get up well before Ryan so that I have time to do my homework. This morning Ryan had to be at work at 10:00, so I rolled out of bed just before he left to get his lunch together and then get my day started. I was lounging around in my pj's, eating breakfast and checking the usual websites before doing homework. Ryan texted me at 10:18 asking what my plan for the day entailed. As I'm detailing my lovely quiet morning at home, I suddenly realize that I'm supposed to be at the school for observation at 10:30! Fortunately, the school is about 4 minutes away from the apt, so I knew I could make it with some serious rushing. Also fortunately, my wake-up call from the rough start of the semester had prompted me to get prepared ahead of time. I brushed my teeth, got dressed in record time, grabbed my notebook and ran out the door. I made it right on time, but my teacher was held late in a meeting. The 10 minutes of waiting gave me time to collect myself and slow down again.

It must be my lucky day today because I ran into one of the girls in the program. I had been trying to get in touch with another teacher at the same school with no luck. She introduced me to the teacher and voila! I have my observation hours ready to go with the 2nd teacher! I'm positively glowing from my frantic yet very productive morning. Being around amazing teachers and working in their classrooms makes it very hard to go back to the retail job, but it's a means to an end and I'll get where I need to be eventually.