Feeling Happily Possessive --Cati

I’m about to sound selfish and like it’s all about “me”—but honestly, one of my favorite things about student teaching is feeling like these are my students, and we are together in my classroom. I feel like I have been given a huge, brightly wrapped, shiny present and get to open it every day all over again.

Part of the reason why I feel like these things are mine is because my cooperating teacher gave me three classes at once, my first full week as a student teacher, and started directing student questions to me and leaving the room sometimes. Students saw that overnight I had apparently become “their teacher.” My cooperating teacher was also absent for family reasons for three days in a row that first week. Students saw me running the show and a sub sitting in the back of the room. Yup, I’m their teacher.

And I simply adore being their teacher. It is amazing to me how quickly I have connected with these students. Having sat and observed them all year, for upwards of one hundred hours, and having taught them several lessons, I thought that I already “knew” them and had connected with them. But this feels entirely different… cracking up at the creative ways that they try to call me “Ms. Schwenkler” in Spanish (the last name is hard enough, and for Spanish II kiddos the “Ms.” part often comes out as “Mrs.” or even “Mr.”)… giving them pep talks about how they can do better on the next quiz… getting high-fives when I pass my boys in the hall.

Every time a student smiles at me, I feel my heart glowing, and when they laugh at me because they think I’m being “too enthusiastic” or laugh at my laugh because it sounds like a fire drill is about to start, I know I’m doing something right. I get to be “that” teacher who’s weird and quirky and hey, holds your attention as a result. Students keep looking at me funny as they get back quizzes and written work covered in red ink as I celebrate their progress, note their areas for improvement, and use some combination of exclamation points, stars, and smiley faces. Yes, that took me forever. No, I can’t imagine giving you back anything else.

I love feeling like a teacher. And while that means that I’m sick (I already had to stay home one day), and I’m starting to wonder what kind of mauve eyeshadow would best complement the growing circles under my eyes, it also means I get out of bed at 5 a.m. every day so, so happy to go in and interact with my students. I share Kyle’s surprise at how fun it is to work with ninth graders, having also thought that I would only want to work with the “older, motivated students.” My AP students are quiet and boring compared to my hilarious, endearing ninth and tenth graders who vary greatly in terms of achievement and motivation, but they all make my heart sing.