Out of the Gates

My Junior Field came on Friday. Earlier than I expected, but it turned out better than I could have hoped. 

Mr. B came to school at lunch on Friday (which happened to be our Spirit Day, so I was in Pajamas). I walked out and was greeted by a young man about twice my height. So not only was I wearing pajamas, I was also a midget compared to him. So much for professionalism. He's young, having graduated high school only two years after me, and fits well in the classroom. Because this is my first time working with the college, I basically told him to tell me what he needed, and we would make it happen.

Basically, he has to put in 65 hours with us and teach at least three lessons - one of them must use technology, and the another needs to be in line with Indian Education For All. To start with, he'll just be observing and doing odd little jobs for me. On Friday, he checked student's papers as they finished they math, and helped them log on in computer lab.

I was very pleased with how easily he slid into his role, and with how well my kidlets behaved. I tried to explain that he is a student, like them, and we will be teaching him as he helps us, but also that he is a teacher, like me, and needs to be respected. 

So, right out of the gates, I feel really good about this. I was extremely nervous, thinking he might ask to have a more experienced teacher as his mentor, but I gotta tell you... while he was there, I was hyper aware of all that I said and did, and you know what? I AM a good teacher. :)