educator extraordinaire

I said to Jenny today, "I wish there was something I could change my major to." "For what purpose?" she asked. "For the purpose of not being an English education major."

But today ended up being one of those affirming yeah-I-really-can-be-a-teacher days. I had a meeting with Dr. Morgan, my professor for teaching writing and my advisor, and it went really well. Maybe he's easy to please, but he made it sound like I had some educational insight that my peers don't. He really seemed to like the ideas I have for my writing sequences, which surprised me because I threw them together in about fifteen minutes. Mind you, this is supposed to be forty-days worth of instruction planning.. His encouragement was much needed and very appreciated.

He also told me that getting a Spanish minor is pointless, that they probably wouldn't even put it on my diploma. Sheesh. He suggested that Get a double teaching certificate. English and Spanish. I don't know about any of that. Does anyone else hear the 4.5-year plan being sucked out the window and being replaced by the nice, round 5-year plan? I'm not so sure I do.

Oh, and he also said the might have left the stack our essays in Mexico. Interesting. It puts the lyric "I'm messed up in Mexico, living on refried dreams" in my head. That's right. The still-mulleted Tim McGraw, from his first album Not a Moment Too Soon. Somewhere, I have the tape.

Anyway, after I left Dr. Morgan's office, I went to the library to work my teaching demonstration for tonight. I'm not sure what got into me, but I cranked out two pages worth of notes and rationale. I was completely prepared and quite confident. It might not have gone as well as I wanted--I'm not sure, and I don't want to watch the video tape--but it went well enough for me. I used all of my 25 minutes. And I wasn't even nervous. Before or after, which says a lot for me. Anyway, the theme for my instructional unit is about memory and the profound effect is has on the self. Tonight was funy because the lesson was centered around "Cry in the Sun." Yay, BTE! One of the already-teachers in my group and I bonded over the band and "This Time of Year."

I have a question. What is it about guys doing their teaching demonstrations and saying German words with the appropriate accent that gets me every time? It's happened twice, and I looove it.

Well, I think I'm going to work on my unit plans. I need to get them knocked out because, sometime between now and next Friday, I have to write two research papers. I'm not looking forward to that. As the person who always says, "I like the English better than the education," I'm going to savor the few moments that the reverse is true.