Well, it's August 2nd and I'm officially on countdown to the first day of school, or rather, the first day of meetings. I start meetings on the 21st and the students start school on the 28th. I'm counting the 21st as MY first day of school because that's when I have to start setting the alarm clock.
I told myself that August would be my "get down to business" month--I'd take the first three weeks and start planning like a crazy person. It's day two of this plan and so far, I have a few ideas for teaching "The Crucible" and a vague idea of what I want to do on the first day of school. So far, I have nothing concrete. But, when it comes to teaching, nothing can ever really be solid. Things change by the minute, but I'd at least like some sort of rough draft of what I'm going to do. Plus, my mentor teachers are both a little more hard core than I had hoped and they are going to want to see all my plans, written out like a good little student teacher should do. Sucks.
Ryan and I are taking a vacation next week--another wrench in my planning plan (Serves me right since I've had half of June and all of July to get ready for fall). We are going to his parents' house in Orange County this weekend and then driving to Phoenix to see our great friends, Joe, Jamie, and their adorable son, Easton. Ryan and Joe met in the news room at BYU. Back in 2001? Joe was working as a reporter at the NBC affliliate in Flagstaff, AZ. They were looking for a new guy, so he called Ryan. It was what we call Ryan's "Blue Period." He went to Flagstaff, worked as a reporter on and off camera, lived in a creepy house with weird roommates, ate a lot of fast food, and then realized he needed to come back to where "his people" were--Sacramento. Flagstaff is really Ryan's story to tell--hopefully, he'll post it on his blog one day soon.
Anyway, we're going to visit Joe (who moved on to bigger and better news in Phoenix) and Jamie and then we will head back to OC and hang out by the pool / beach with the family. My mom and dad are going to meet us down there next Thursday. My mom is taking me to see Wicked--should be a good time. I think Christian is going to head down from Vegas and hang out too. Chris turns 28 on the 9th--he's getting old.
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3 comments:
You are going to love Wicked... at least I did. Have you read the book yet? I was just listening to the soundtrack.
Procrastination is ok.. Hey, in my five years teaching freshman, some of my best ideas have come to me in my car on the way to class!! You will be fine. the more you dwell the less productive. I like waiting til the last minute, it makes me work harder!
Hi Jen-
It's me again, Delynn's friend and colleague from Missy's Shower. Anyway, I feel your pain - there is nothing worse than the increasing panic one feels as that first day of school looms dead ahead, and I've been teaching high school English for twelve years! Congratulations, by the way, but just the thought of student teaching while pregnant is pretty daunting! Just wanted to give you some info that might prove helpful. Many teachers in our district use novel units that can be ordered from www.centerforlearning.org I have really liked them because they promote higher order thinking skills. The handouts can be used in a variety of ways and provide you with lots of ideas and ways to approach the novel, play, etc. They have units for almost any literary work. Many have tests and quizzes in them. You can order a catalog on the site or call them and order the unit for a particular work.
Best of luck!
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