Three weeks already? Some reflections

This week did feel especially long, considering it was the first full week of school, but I still have a hard time believing that today marked the end of the first three weeks of school. How is it possible that it's already been 3 weeks?!

Other teachers have asked me how my first teaching job is going so far ... and I honestly tell them I love it.

There are times that it has made me cry (twice, though only when I am alone or on the phone with Westley), but I can't even begin to count the times that it has made me laugh, grin, glow with pride ...

The eighth grade classes are still testing me, but I'm learning and they're getting away with less and less. I heard from another teacher that they said I was "really strict." Ha. I couldn't help but feel quite pleased when I heard that. That's exactly the impression I want them to have.

My younger students are still sweet, and they're constantly surprising me with how fast they catch on, especially when they perform better than the older students. I've been told by other teachers that the kids say they really like me, that I'm really nice, that I have a pretty voice ... I love hearing this feedback, but whenever a colleague shares something like this, it makes me wonder ... Who initiated the conversation? A curious colleague or a chatty kid?

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As Westley had predicted, I recently became aware of my status as a "hot" teacher. Gulp. Just today, two of my sixth graders who sit near my desk were chatting.

"She's gotta be in her twenties. She can't be thaaaat old." One of them said.

"Yeah ... she's pretty hot, you know."

I made the mistake of sharing this revelation with my parents.

"That's so sweet," my mom gushed. "You might be their first little crush. Think about when you're 50 and reflecting back on your early teaching years ... you'll think it's really cute."

"It reinforces your image as a role model. It means they look up to you." My dad stated.

"Um, I'm not sure of that," I countered. "I think it just means they like to look at me."

"It's actually a good thing," my dad continued, "because you'll be able to transfer some of that positive attention onto your subject area ... and they could really fall in love with music."

"I hope it's that," I responded, "and that they won't just take my class because they think I'm 'hot.'"

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I discovered that I work better at school than at home (because I usually procrastinate at home and then feel more stressed because the work weighs down on me) ... so I've been staying late at school. Our school gets out unusually late as it is (4pm), and I was at school until 6pm most nights this week and until 7pm last night.

It has not been incredibly easy adjusting to this schedule (See one of the recent previous entries regarding my typical day!), but it makes me all the more grateful to be living at home. The rent I pay and the cost/time of the commute is totally worth the extra pampering I receive: laundry, home-cooked meals, trading off hair-brushing favors with my mom ... and the occasional treat to satisfy my sweet tooth (because I refuse to buy those for myself but my parents generally have a small collection).

~*~*~*~

In a nutshell: So far, so good. :-) When I decided at age 14 that I wanted to pursue this career, I chose well.