Monday, I was placed at G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton for the first half of the semester; the second half, I am at Oswego High School, which I’m very happy about because I don’t have a vehicle, and that’s well within walking distance. At first, transportation to Fulton was very inconvenient because I was taking a bus to Fulton in the morning (which meant getting up before 5 in the morning) and then taking one back, which was very problematic. To make a long story short, I got on a wrong bus in Fulton on Tuesday, and the driver was very rude when he made this discovery; I get done at Fulton at about 2:30 and didn’t make it back to campus until after 5. Luckily, I found more reliable, comfortable transportation last night, so my placement doesn’t make me feel so flustered anymore.
At this placement, I unfortunately won’t have much freedom as a teacher. My Host Teacher, who is very pleasant and funny, says that because the school district tends to perform so poorly, she is hesitant to give me control, so I will be teaching her lessons most likely as her co-teacher, but I think that my placement at Oswego High (which begins in March) will afford me a lot more freedom. I have already communicated with that teacher via email, and I already know that she is allowing me to select a novel out of a list that provided, most of which are on Challenged lists, so she sounds like a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to that for that reason and also because I won’t have to depend on someone for transportation; I hate having to rely on people, not because I tend not to trust people but because I strive to be an independent person that is not needy, which unfortunately isn’t always possible.
This week, the students are taking Regents exam, so I have yet to really meet any of them. On Monday, I will be partaking in an introductory activity with them which I did actually organize, so I’m looking forward to that. I am also going to go over my expectations with them. My Host Teacher said that a majority of the students are not motivated and consequently don’t care about their work. I am hoping to help them find that part of themselves that I know does care, and maybe that’s too ambitious for a student-teacher who has such a small amount of experience, but I want to do everything that I can; my primary teaching goal in general is to make a difference in young people’s lives, to motivate and to inspire them. I’ll be writing more as soon as possible; for now, take care, all, and welcome to the new semester.