My Wednesday.

Tuesday night I prepared for the following day with the mindset that I was going to continue my Co-teaching model, where I teach a portion, and she teaches a portion of class, but instead on Wednesday I woke up to a text from her saying she wasn’t going to be able to come into class. I went to school nervous as to how this would be fixed. I had been instrumental in helping to make the unit we were on so I knew everything that was going to be taught that day, but I still wasn’t prepared for what ended up happening.

I went into the classroom, it was free period first so I spent the hour preparing for the four classes to follow. All the while the school radio reminded me that they still hadn’t found coverage for my next class. At the last minute the department head of English came in. He was going to cover. As I explained to him what today’s lesson was on I realized that I knew enough to do it. I told him I’d take the lead, and I taught the whole period. This proved beneficial to me, as I got to be observed teaching by the department head, so I ended up with some solid feedback for what I can improve, and what I’m doing well.

Unfortunately the rest of the day didn’t go that smoothly. They took away my advisory period from me, which was great because I have absolutely no clue what to do in advisory. They meet once a week so I pretty much never see them. All the while I didn’t hear any announcers asking for coverage, so I assumed I was all set. I taught my first class thinking, well I was going to take over that period this week any way, but I was hoping that someone could take the lead for the last three. One minute into start of that class the announcer asked for immediate coverage for that class. I realized I had to take over. Fifteen minutes went by before a sub came in. Since I had already started I figured I might as well keep going. This one was more difficult, but I made it through.  

  

                The last two classes were the most difficult. At this point they didn’t even have coverage so I took them both over completely alone. It was honestly one of the most exhausting, frustrating experiences of my life, but I survived. By the end it made the rest of the week feel so much easier because hell I’d already taught a whole day by myself. What’s one or two classes going to do? In the frustration of teaching students who have behavior problems by myself I ended up breaking any nervousness I felt about taking control of a class. If I was going to survive I’d have to be an authoritarian presence in that classroom, and while I can’t say I’m the best there is, I definitely made huge strides.