I told you I cannnot keep up with these things

I had my first observation last week. I felt like my heart might explode before we started, but it actually went swimmingly. My observer had to get nit picky with me because she did not have enough to criticize about my teaching style. I actually earned a few excels on my score card. Not to shabby for a first go around.  That being said, I have to work on keeping up with the b.s. lessons plans. Why? Because I just figured out why they are so important. The formerly stupid and pointless lesson plans force me to focus from the very beginning on what I want my students to say when they get home and are sitting at the dinner table and their parent(s) ask them what they learned today. As I described my lesson to my observer, I was able to pick out what I hoped the students would answer, but I never bothered putting it in my actual plans. This could be the difference between me getting a job and me sitting at home waiting to sub. As was thrilled that my observer told me she had never been prouder of a student teachers ethics and how safe they made all of the students feel in the classroom. Without sounding like a big softie, I was bursting with pride and almost cried when she said that. Oaky, so for anyone that knows me, I am a big softie. Now just do not tell anyone that actually admitted it. I am still not a fan of including technology just for the sake of adding technology. I understand that giving students instant feedback is key, but having them play on the SmartBoard or their netbooks just for the sake of getting a three in my score column is not what I want to do in my lessons. I truly believe that students need to be broken from their teacher to their electronic devices. They are ridiculously dependent on their phones, computers, etc. In another twist, all of their devices are nicer than anything the teacher owns. Crazy stuff. On that note, I have to sound more like an old fart here. Chaperoned the middle school dance this weekend. Yikes. I recognized two songs and thought the music was loud enough to give me a brain bleed. I am so old. I had some fun as well. The kids all looked great. Nice to see that most of the guys can tie their own ties, and even bowties. I was disappointed that I only saw one boy open the door for his date and one other give a corsage to a girl. We need more gentlemen in this world not less. Where the heck are all of the romantics like me?

I completely suck at keeping up with blogs, journals, etc...

Wow. Terrible. So last semester I was going to keep track of everything that happened while I was student teaching. That has worked out well so far. Teaching a couple lessons a month in three classes has in no way prepared me for the vast amount of work I am required to keep up with this semester. So this is it folks. On the eve of my twenty year high school reunion, I will finally get a bachelor's from college. What a long strange trip it's been.
 I have met with my mentor teacher on my own time for the last few weeks leading up to my five day a week student training adventure. So I suppose I am slightly ready to jump into this. Then again, I also have a few thousand pages of lesson plans and assorted materials that I need to break down and plan with for the next 86 school days.
Yes 86 school days. The teachers are already counting down. This has been one of the most disappointing aspects of actually working in a school. What are teachers so pissed off and whiney? I have not meet one teacher that ever had another job in their life. They have never dug ditches in the bitter cold and blazing heat. They have never come home from work so disgusting that they have to change in the basement before they shower. They have never had to works nights weekends and holidays waiting on customers that showed up five minutes before closing and just would not take a hint that we wanted to go home. They never had a customer order a well done steak after the kitchen was closed and cleaned for the night. Look, I know teachers are underpaid and do spend hours working on materials for class on their own time. I also know that while this job is stressful it is not bad breaking hard labor. Even with the overwhelming amount of material I am responsible for this semester I know that this job is better than any other I have held in the past.
Here is the true PITA part of my final semester. My university requires student teachers to do so much useless, busy work to justify the salaries of the administrators, advisors, and professors. I am going to end up with a few hundred pages of garbage that no one will ever have the time to read by May. I know it preps me for the mountains of paper work that will follow me for eternity as an educator. Still, why not just let me focus my attentions on being a better planner, speaker, and teacher and stop worrying about cutting down ever tree between my house and the school just to make you more secure in your job.
Too much whining and complaining. See teachers, it rubs off on the student teachers and you set us up to be just as miserable as you.