Okay, so I really haven't been yelling across the lake or anything. But the narrowest point of Lake Michigan is between Sheboygan and the Silver Lake sand dunes. What a coincidence, eh?
I've been in Sheboygan just over a week now. Typing that makes it seem so weird! In some aspects, this week has flown by. I was pulled into the community on Sunday, attending the church down the street and then also going to their "praise in the parking lot" where they served dinner (hey, free food! I'm appreciating that even more than I did in college now) and then had a worship time outdoors. I've been busy every day, working in the classroom to organize, decorate, and plan for school. Many days, I would glance at the clock and be like "huh, okay, it's 6:30. Maybe I should wrap this up soon and get some food." I spent hours in meetings with a couple other teachers, like my principal, mentor teacher, and middle school coordinator, but they were ones where I went to a bakery or sat outside and talked about what I needed to know, and hardly seemed to take up much time (until I later looked at a clock). I've started getting to know my landlords and their family, and I was able to spend hours down in their home one evening eating dinner, sipping lattes, and playing family games. It has certainly been a week of activity, which has made this week go by quickly.
But on the other hand, I feel like I've been here so much longer than a week - but in a good way. I feel at home and, for the most part, settled. I still have to get more connected to some of the community, but that will come. I already know just about everyone is eager to enfold me if I just go to them. I've already felt that with the teachers, in particular the upper grades, whom I've interacted with most. What usually took me weeks in a teaching placement in college has taken me less than a week in Sheboygan - to feel I belong. Most of my classroom was decorated using supplies from others. Most of the teachers I've sat down with are encouraging me to give any input I have because they are eager to hear my ideas since I am a fresh face out of college. I was warned in school sometimes veteran teachers can be wary of change and new ideas; I don't think I'll have that problem too much here.
Here are some pictures from the classroom:
I do feel a little bit like I'm not a teacher yet, that I'm just borrowing a classroom and on that first day of class a cooperating teacher will walk in the door and teach for a couple days or be in a support role in the back of the classroom. Maybe I'll feel like a teacher after I have a couple days, or weeks, under my belt; maybe it'll take a few years. I don't know, but I know that even though I'm technically on my own in the classroom, on this faculty I'm not really on my own at all. These teachers are working hard to equip me, support me, and encourage me. And the beautiful thing about being on my own in my subject - I decide what I teach (within some general boundaries) and how I do it. It's both scary and exhilarating; scary because I have many decisions to make, but exhilarating because I get to make them and no one will tell me that I have to teach any certain text. As long as I teach from exploration to World War I in American history, I get to decide what projects and lessons I create; as long as students learn to analyze characters and themes as well as compare and contrast, I can decide with which texts they do so; as long as I teach the kings and prophets between Solomon and the New Testament, I can decide how to connect them with other stories and with our world today; and as long as students learn how to write paragraphs and form papers, I can choose what they write.
Oh yeah, in case you didn't catch it - I'm teaching more than just English. I'm teaching 7th and 8th grade literature, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Language Arts, 7th and 8th grade Reading Workshop, 7th grade Bible, 7th grade Social Studies, and 8th grade homeroom. Needless to say, it's busy. But it's actually been quite fun thinking across disciplines, and thinking of how I'm going to connect them through books, writing, and speaking about lessons we're learning in history during literature and language arts class, or Bible in history class, or visa versa each situation. I'm pumped. It's taking a lot more thinking and planning to be teaching 4 subjects (and really 8 different classes) in any given week, but it'll be quite the ride.
Speaking of planning, I should get back to it. I'm thinking about taking the 7 block walk to the lakeshore this afternoon for planning. I know, life is rough.
