Pre-Clinical Experiences: First Impression

So I've been at my old middle school for a week now, doing some observations and I've really enjoyed it. My host teacher is my eighth grade science teacher and she has been incredible to "work" with so far. The whole team of teachers in the downstairs eighth grade is just awesome. They were all so welcoming!

I was really nervous about the first week of school. How do you get kids from summer mode to school mode? How do you lay down the law without destroying any trust or making them absolutely hate you? So many little questions...



I've been sitting in for two class periods a day plus the plan period [snapped this picture today during the plan period] - one is a regular 8th grade curriculum class and the other is an Honors class that is considered worth high school credit. So I have a nice mix of two different ability groups.

The kids are great and I'm already getting a ton of information and been able to take a bunch of notes reflecting on general effective teaching practices, classroom management, academic language, metacognition, and communication, instructional planning and presentation, educational assessment, and diversity, inclusion, and exceptional learners. My papers for my Pre-Clinical Experiences class are going to come very easily with what I've gotten in just a few short hours of observation.

I absolutely adore being in the classroom. I cannot stress that enough and I'm happy to feel that way because I know I'm on the right path and that is just good to know.