Sometimes it is very easy to begin a new blog. This is not one of those times. I guess I will start with the basics, hopefully it will not bore too many people.
My name is Meghan and I just completed my first year at the University of Windsor as a French concurrent Education student. This blog will hopefully chronicle years 2-5 of my University experience on the way to becoming a French teacher. My first year of University I was part of the University of Windsor first year student blog and had such a wonderful experience with it I decided I wanted to continue. At some point I will (probably) put up the posts from my first year so that I can keep track of them.
For the next two weeks I will be doing my student teacher placement in a 3/4 classroom.
Today was my first day in the classroom. I will only be observing, but may have the option to teach if my mentor teacher allows it. The school was very welcoming. The principal talked to the four student teachers who started that day directly after announcements, gave us the teacher handbook for that school and answered any questions we had. He was very nice and according to one of the other student teachers who I know through the Concurrent Club I was a part of in my first year he was the most welcoming principal and this is the most welcoming school she has been placed at. I feel very fortunate to have such a good placement in my first year.
My mentor teacher is very kind. Some of the students have been with her for three years now so they are well behaved and know what she expects from her. There are a few students in the classroom that have special needs including one girl who is in grade four but is at a grade one level in both math and English. She is not only having problems at school but at home as her mother is dying without her knowledge and she is supposed to be seeing a counselor but my mentor teacher suspects that this may not be true. According to my mentor teacher, students with issues such as this are common.
I also got to spend the last few periods of the day with the French teacher because my mentor teacher had to attend a meeting. She has been teaching for, I believe, 18 years and knows a lot about the job. Her outlook on teaching is very balanced as she spoke of not only the joys of teaching, but the problems as well. It was very interesting to hear about both sides.
My first day was very exhausting, especially since I went out with my friends after to play soccer and twisted my knee, but before I go to bed I want to mention the significance of the title of my blog (even though I named it before I heard this comment today): my mentor teacher, when speaking of the difficulties that face teachers specifically concerning the overwhelming amount of students with their own individual needs, gave what I think will be the best advice I will receive as a teacher, "You need to just take it one day at a time." And so I will.
Day one is complete.
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