By this point in the semester, some student teaching programs are wrapping up. Others are just about halfway through. Whatever the case, I think most of our student teacher readers are coming to realize that teaching is not quite what they expected it would be in many regards. I think many of them are beginning to realize that they will really miss (some of) the kids after they finish for the year.

G. Broaddus recently noted that he has been quite a bit more busy this semester than he anticipated. Unexpected events have taken place. Just under a month ago, he realized that daily blogging is a big commitment. It’s okay. His blogging has definitely been valueable for him, as has this much-needed respite.

Mr. Spurlin came to the absolutely true realization that:

The most challenging aspect has definitely been the planning.  There is usually so much I feel like I can do with each lesson but the time just isn’t there to do what I want.  Sometimes I feel like I’m taking the easy way out or letting down my students when I make certain decisions regarding my lessons, but I don’t think they notice.  It’s just a matter of what I know I can do.

Teacher Mom has realized that student teaching (and I would contend regular teaching as well) is hard work. She is up until at least 10 every night and up by 4:30 every morning. I wish I got that much sleep! Of course most of my time isn’t spent working on grading or lesson planning, but rather is spent blogging. Even so, there is definitely something to be said about the mental detox time!

Mattie is on spring break with her parents. Looks like it ends for her today as it does for me. When she gets back, she has a lot of preparation to do. It also looks like she may have an opportunity to work in her old junior high. Maybe?

JK moved his blog and is in a situation where his master teacher stays late after work to discuss things with him. It may be time-consuming, but I can virtually guarantee that those times will prove tremendously helpful to him later on down the road!

John got to rehearse I Am with his band. BAND NERD ALERT: I know the feeling of feeling tied to the score. Imagine going to Sight Reading contest and having a handful of minutes to look through the music, then being expected to perform it at the same level as the concert music you’ve been working on for months. The only way to get comfortable with conducting is by doing it over and over and over. Hang in there!

I know I’ve dropped the ball this spring with the blog and with the student teaching project. I want to thank all of you who are participating as well as those who are student teaching but haven’t gotten on the bandwagon. If you have a blog and are student teaching, let me know. Congratulations to all of you!

As an aside, if you’re looking for interesting (and often disheartening) educational news, check out the Detention Slip widget at the bottom right of the blog.

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Joel Wagner

Joel Wagner (@sywtt) began teaching band in 2002. Though he had a lot of information, his classes were out of control. He found himself tired, frustrated, disrespected by students, lonely, and on the brink of quitting. He had had enough. He resigned from his school district right before spring break of his second year and made it his personal mission to learn to be a great teacher. So You Want To Teach? is the ongoing story of that quest for educational excellence.