Quality time soon to return.

I have to say that this whole experience has passed me by just as quickly as I thought it would.  Weeks start and before I know it, I’m making plans for the weekend.  Mondays haven’t felt like Mondays in some time.

I have been working on a dramatic play with my coop teacher and about 40-some students.  It’s called The Somewhat true tale of Robin Hood.  I’ve mentioned it at the beginning of the semester I’m sure, and now we’re entering the week of performances.  On Monday and Tuesday, sister schools in the community will bring some of their kids to come see the play.  Wednesday through Friday sees the evening performances of the play.  I have invited numerous friends to come see the satirical version of the old folk tale.  My family will also be coming to the city for the first time in months to come check out the final product.  My significant other and her family & relatives have expressed interest in coming as well.

I just had to step back this week and observe the amount of support I have coming from every direction.  I have spent so much time thinking about the lives that I’ve uncontrollably been impacting, and really haven’t taken the time to see who I am impacted by.  It’s a great feeling to know that I have so many support systems on this journey.

Internship is really like that “make or break” process where you finally figure out whether or not you can live up to the task of being an educator.  I’ve gotten to the point in my internship now where I’d have to go out of my way not to make it.  I know there’s still a significant amount of time before graduation occurs and I get my bachelor’s degree, teaching certificate, etc., but what I’m trying to say is there is now light at the end of the tunnel.  Everything is looking pretty damn good from here.

Once Robin Hood is finished, I will no longer have the 10 to 12 hour days I’ve been having at the school.  I’ve also reached the end of my 3-week-block, and I will start dropping the classes I’ve picked up, beginning tomorrow.  ELA is the first to go, and with that, media studies 20.  Once I’ve cleared both classes, I can get to the massive pile of papers + assignments on my desk that need to be graded.  Once that’s done, well, I think I’ll more or less be done.

I have to say I am really excited for the end, but not because I want everything to finish.  I’ve made some great relationships with the students and fellow interns & teachers.  I’ve learned some incredible lessons regarding teaching that I don’t think I would have ever clued into if not for the help of my coop and the kids.  Those lessons I can get into later.  Regardless, I’m excited for things to end because it means new beginnings.  I get to start co-coaching the improv team in a matter of weeks.  I get to go back to uni, lined up with possibly one of the best semesters yet.  There are great things on the horizon.  Most of all, I can’t wait to spend quality time with those that I have not been able to over the course of the last few months.

On Friday, I had a First Nations Storyteller come to my drama 9 class.  I could not have felt more proud of my class and I have come to realize how that feels.  To be proud of a group of kids.  Proud of a classroom community.  After Hazel was finished, she kindly mentioned (more than once) that my grade 9 class was the most well behaved class she has ever had the pleasure of speaking in front of.  Now I don’t know if she says that to all the classes she speaks to, but it sure made me feel good.  Regardless, she was right in some way.  My grade 9 class listened as attentively as they would have listened to me, or one of their fellow peers.  I can guide a class!  I can do it!  Wow.  That realization was almost as surreal as how the first day of internship had been.

Students have also been bugging me about something rather hilarious.  I told a couple of them a few days ago that they could no longer speak about the video game Skyrim in front of me, because I have been too busy to get the game, let alone play it.  Not to mention too broke to buy it.  Now I have half the student body that knows me specifically going out of their way to talk about Skyrim in front of me.  Absolute torture.

Short, busy week.

Today is parent/teacher interview day!

I’ve successfully made it through my first week of full-time interning alive, but not without spending a number of hours outside of class prepping for what lies ahead.  This weekend will be more of the same.  But for now, I get to concentrate on speaking with a number of parents today about their children.  I’m not too sure what to expect as my parents never actually went to parent/teacher interviews.  I have spent most of the morning enjoying a quiet, empty classroom, listening to Radiohead and Thursday, and catching up on entering marks into the computer, hopefully it’ll be enough to keep my nerves calm once the parents come in around 2:00.  What I find particularly interesting is the fact that the meetings are no longer than 7 minutes.  Not that I have a plethora of things to say regarding everyone’s kid, but 7 minutes honestly seems like barely enough time to get the ball rolling should it come to that, in regards to conversation.

There is one parent I’m rather interested to meet.  Interested and slightly apprehensive, I should say.  The parent of a student, Z, who I gave a final failing grade in the class I taught him in.  I mean, I do have all my backing in order, all my peas in a pod in terms of why I gave Z the failing mark.  But one never knows how a parent could react, I guess.  Only time will tell.  Other than Z, every student whose parents’ signed up for teacher interviews are more or less at the top end of the class.  Peculiar, and might I say discouraging, how the students who actually need their parents involved in their education are the ones that don’t show up.

In other unrelated teaching news, we hosted another improv show at the school last night and packed the house.  The students from the improv group actually asked me to open the show with an original tune.  So I had my first official show in front of an all-ages crowd.  The real highlight though, as one can imagine, is the amount of talent that is shown during the two hours that this group of 12-14 students improvise their way out of just about anything.  I left with a sore face from laughing and a perma-grin.  This part of the internship is really what it has been all about.  I told one of the students who acts as somewhat of a leader to the rest of the group that “Every time I see you guys perform, I get the impression that there’s something greater in the works.”  These kids are truly inspiring.  I know I have said it before but I honestly feel refreshed, imaginative and in the mood to be worthwhile and helpful.  This sort of thing really acts as my fuel to keep me going through this whole internship process.

But more so, it calls to me to participate in whatever way I can, because I know that I love watching the act, so why would I not want to be a part of it?  I decided to volunteer my time as a co-coach to the improv team here at the school.  This will go well out of my internship and into my remaining university semester, but I couldn’t care less.  I honestly believe some of these students have a life waiting for them doing what they’re doing now.  It’s like watching someone’s life unfolding right before your eyes.

What comes with the territory.

Among all the things that come into my responsibility on a day-to-day basis, something that I have not particularly reflected on is my experience with the drama production group.  This year, my cooperating teacher has selected The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood as the performance piece.  Picture the story of Robin Hood done in a Monty Python manner.   The 23-and-some cast members are notably satirical and filled with great ability, making this play something to witness when performance time comes at November’s end.

For extra curricular volunteer work, helping out with the drama production is more or less where I imagined myself to be, as the kind of band program I would enjoy working with is not particularly present at the school (and more so something I would probably need to establish and shape myself).  However, it is not light work with regard to time.  I can find myself spending anywhere between 8-15 hours/week doing extra curricular service.  This is somewhat of a hot topic between teachers and their governments at the moment as teachers struggle to receive a salary that reflects their efforts accurately.  A tough call, as some may argue the point that teachers have the benefit of extended vacations throughout the year.  Regardless, my point here is not regarding teacher pay and what we do or do not deserve.  I’m not getting paid at the moment and therefor have much more concerning things to dedicate my thoughts to.

What is somewhat interesting is the whole notion of extra curricular activity, and what it brings forth from students and teachers.  I have spent time in my classrooms attempting (with some success) to get to know my students, find out what they enjoy, what makes them tick, etc.  I have found, however, that the time spent after school with students while working on our play has been far more effective.  Let’s face it: our education system puts a small percentage of students in their element, their niche, during an even smaller percentage of time while they’re at school.  If I did a survey of students at the school, I would imagine that the students who’d respond “YES!” to being in their element while sitting in a desk, facing a whiteboard, would be few and far between.  What a student chooses to do after hours at the school is what truly brings forth a beneficial and honest link between them and their educator(s).

This gives us as teachers a chance to see the true individual shine in everyone, where a desk seems to limit, or even contain that radiance.  This presents a conundrum to me.  Some teachers feel as though they should be paid for this extra time spent at school, as it is their own time they are now giving toward the betterment of the student body and the school community.  Others see this time as a great chance to get to know students on significant levels.  I ultimately see it as an issue of balance.  When do we call it a day?  When is our time worth compensation?  I have little issue with staying past the final bell to help out with a drama production.  It has helped me to gain a better understanding of what goes on in these kids’ lives.  At some point though, people need to set time aside for themselves. With all the researching, grading, lesson planning and prepping that awaits at home, that time for oneself becomes more and more scarce.  Choosing where to dedicate my time is a daily trial.  I can only imagine how that struggle plays out when one starts getting paid for the job.