I will start this crazy new job at the High School next year. Last week, I popped in my future classroom to see what my kids will be like. I learned quickly that they are exactly like the little tykes I teach now, just supersized. The cool thing is that my teaching will be less focused on ABC's, and more on what adults do during the day to keep themselves busy. And yes, there is cooking and a Wii involved :)
Things I anticipate I will love:
- teaching them how to be adults in the world and prepare them for the day when "the bus stops coming".
- getting to take my group of 8 kids (or should I start calling them adults?) on daily field trips to the store, jobs, parks, and all community resources.
- getting them all YMCA memberships and having some work out sessions with them-since that's what adults do.
- getting them hooked up with jobs in the real world and watching them gain a sense of self worth.
Things I anticipate will take some getting used to:
-zits and B.O. Lots of it.
-getting beat up. (it's okay, I can run really fast if I have to)
-no more V-necks or skirts.
-no cutsie classroom decor. More like college dorm room set up. No biggie. Feel free to donate your twilight posters :)
-bus routes--we'll be using the transit on a daily basis.
I'm always up for a challenge, so this is right up my alley. I just like to teach, I don't really care who I'm teaching. So, as I get a little sad to pack up my apple bulletin boards and my alphabet puzzles, I am pretty psyched to run around with big kids in the real world and see how they (and I) do.
(Here is a totally unrelated pic of me at Fish Camp, Port Angeles, WA, a couple weeks ago. Here, I'm sporting Dad's fleece, and socks with birkenstalks. This is how I plan on dressing for my new job.)
