I’m trying to restrain myself from updating this blog too much, because, at the rate my thoughts have been spinning, I could probably add a post 5 times a day. And, yet, there’s not really anything too new to report. I’ve been having lots of daydreams about my future ECE classroom, which has led me to reflect on my own nursery, pre-k, k, and 1-3 grade teachers. I had a great pre-k teacher, and still remember some of her hijinks (such as walking around leading the class banging a tambourine), and I intend to use some of her tricks (at least, the few I can remember. Fortunately, this was before we moved to DC, and my family lived in a very small town in North NJ, so my brother had her too, meaning my mom remembers quite a bit more about her than either of us). But one thing that stuck out to me was my first grade teacher. I just remember she had a poster up in her room, in that classic little kids’ teacher poster style, with bubble letters, proudly displaying President Clinton as our nation’s President.
Strange to believe that, when I was in first grade, President Clinton was the President. We’ve only had one (interminable seeming and awful, of course) presidency between his and President Obama’s. And, of course, I intend to get a poster like this for my own classroom, featuring Obama. So, anyway, long story short: I AM REALLY YOUNG! I graduated high school a year early, and so am even younger than I might be otherwise. And I’m entering into TFA right after having graduated college this spring. Basically, one of my main worries about potentially having older students is that they would somehow know that I was only a couple (if that) years older than most of them. I’m going to be 21 when I start teaching. So, I’m kind of relieved I’m going to have young kids, who, although I’m sure will pester me over my age, will have no idea how young I actually am. I mean, if I had high school students, I’m pretty sure I would watch the same TV shows as them (not that I really have time for that, but still, occasionally), listen to a lot of the same music, and wear similar clothes. Maybe that doesn’t matter, but it might wound my own sense of my legitimacy as their authority figure. It’s not that I think my age really matters all that much, but, as a woman, and someone new to the teaching game, I don’t want yet another thing making me feel somehow inadequate. (Not that I think women are inadequate! I’m just anti-patriarchy.)
Anyway… No one commented on my last post about the Praxis II, which has me pretty concerned. I really don’t want to go into this test blind. I mean, what if I don’t pass? It’s possible. I don’t know basic geography anymore or even really basic science. Heheh. I’m going to be home for the 20th Anniversary Summit, and it’s located in DC, conveniently, so I think I am going to go. And my wonderfully supportive boyfriend has a couple of friends who work in the DC public school system (not with TFA), and he said we can definitely arrange for me to sit in some classes, which, I’m gathering, is the best preparation there is. Yay!
rundekm
I’ll also be 21 when I start teaching high schoolers (eep!) next fall. I definetly feel it’ll be a challenge to portray myself as someone who knows what they were doing.
Also, in askmolly’s og, who also taught elementary, she shared a story in which the kid asked her her age, and she asked back how old do you think I am? and he said, I dunno, 40? So I would agree that to a five year old, anyone over 20 is the same age, and that age is ancient