Nearly finished

I have nearly completed my first/second placement for student teaching. I might just be getting a little sad about leaving. I know that I will be back to take over a maternity leave for a 4K teacher, but I have really enjoyed my time with the 1st graders. All of the things that I've learned and experienced are truly going to help me with my own future classroom. We made a trip to the Dairy and Pumpkin Farm last Friday. What a challenge, considering I was also sick for most of the week; pretty bad cold. The farm gave the 4K through 3rd grade classes a lot of hands on/first hand experience with the farm, planting with tractors and care for animals. Remember, most of the students in my class come from low income families who haven't gone very far outside of the city of Milwaukee. Anyways, they were able to see calves, heifers, beef cattle, bulls, the food the cows eat, and the machines used to plant crops. The pumpkin farm had a few more animals for the kids to see and pet; pigs, goats, chickens, ducks, horses, cows, llamas and more. It was a great experience. Some of the kids certainly had some interesting questions for the teachers and the helpers at the farms. Now that we are back to school on Monday, I only have four days left. Four days of teaching them about the farm and then I move onto to Donges Bay in Mequon to teach kindergarten.

Been sometime...

So, my thoughts are swarming and I am thinking that I am not doing too good on keeping this up-to-date. With student teaching going on, I am busy, but feel like I am just jumping through the hoops to make D.P.I. happy. I mean, I have a good teacher to work with, who I consider a friend, but still feel as though I would be happier if I just have my own classroom at this point. I have been working extremely hard to get everything finished to move on. I was a social worker for a whole 5 months because I hated it. I finished my master's in 18 months and have been completing other classes for the last year and am not student teaching. It's like I am in the home stretch, but at times I feel like I've barely left home plate. I am counting down the days until the 'final' freedom is here, 74 days! I've already got a long-term job lined up for part of January through part of March. Then, hopefully I will be interviewing for 2nd or 3 rd jobs in the area by then and will know where exactly I will be teaching next school year. I feel like at times I am rushing things through and not truly enjoying it, but when I get to that point I think things will just be much easier and happier! We'll see though, I guess just ask me in 365 days!