Constant lack of sleep = Constant hangover state

After the third week of practicum I have just accepted the fact that getting enough sleep is impossible, especially in this last week. However, to my surprise what I am learning from this experience is how far you can burn the candle at both ends.

Has anyone figured out their own boiling point? As in, at what point do you stop being a functional, productive teacher? Kinda neat concept to explore, non?

For me, the tell-tale-sign came today. It wasn’t putting the milk in the cupboard or realizing I left my wallet at the grocery store or forgetting to put shoes on when taking out the garbage. No, unfortunately that’s normal for me.

It happened when looking at my observations notes of this past week. Once in a while, like all good teacher candidates, I jot down some thoughts about particular student and their individual progress in class. While reading this I suddenly found a random note to myself.

“Remember to peel carrots for lunches, they look gross if you don’t and then students look at you funny. Not cool Miss Wells: be a leader!”

Its official, I’ve become dysfunctional. All my so called "important" observations of progress is mixed with random personal notes to myself.  Really Lauren? Worst off, its not even related to the students...well kinda. Here are some of the examples found, sadly I don't even remember writing these things.

1. People like savory scones more than the sweet ones, especially in the morning so focus more on the cheese-done! (ugh...not in the curriculum Lauren!)
2. You need to be more grateful towards people. They help you so much everyday and perhaps if you just took time to recognize them, even in a little ways: that would be nice. MAN oh MAN, do people ever save your butt! (this makes me laugh, so random but think it was referring to my TC helping me out with a SUPO form that I kept forgetting to do-hah!)
3. Its okay to fail at things. Everyone does and if we didn’t, we wouldn’t learn a thing. So when you talk to students, you can tell them that you failed your first driving test or that you made a mistake in baking and that’s why the scones were butter-less blackberry the other day-hah! Yes, even as a teacher you fail. Like failing to build a structure in class...ugh-whatever! (This is referencing an activity done in class last week where students had a partner and were to build a structure that must be 25 cm high but must also hold the weight of a textbook. So you are making a shelf or table thingy however, the only materials you can use are paper rods and tape...that’s it! And so, me being all clever thought I could help this one student who was working alone...oh my word! The whole class noticed that our structure didn’t stand up straight and by the end of it, the student I was working with wasn’t too pleased with what Miss Wells had done:-(
4.  I met Ed today, he was lovely. I learnt how to say goodbye which really is actually saying thank you. Because First Nations people only say goodbye when the person is dead, so for everyday purposes thank you is equivalent to saying goodbye. Good to know! (A special guest is coming to class this week for History and the school at the end of the month and so, I got to meet him briefly and talk to him.  Really, I was right away struck by this man’s presence...just one of those people that for me, demands respect in a non-aggressive kind of way).
5. Warning: wearing side braid pulled up for bangs is very trendy among student body...could explain why students aren’t sure you are a teacher or student. (no comment)
6. Work on knitting so that you can show students how to start a project and what more than two lines looks like. (Gabrielle, Hannah, Ashely, Carolin, Nicole and Harmony all lead&participate in Westwood’s knitting club every Tuesday and Thursday at lunch...I only come because I made two of the boys in my class join but when it comes to teaching people how to sow: pathetic! Would really like to own this skill!)
7. A teacher tells a parent what they are doing at school with their child and explains. Parent agrees and then proceeds to tell teacher what they are doing at home, claiming its the EXACT same thing. Hardly. However, at the end of the interview both parties are happy because they think they are on the same page when in reality it was a complete miscommunication. (Although I was not allowed to sit in any of the parent-teacher interviews, a couple of times parents would openly discuss things in my presence and let’s just say its like the telephone game...the longer it takes for the message to get around the circle, the more likely the message loses its meaning.  Instead of parent-teacher interviews it should be called Communication Interviews : This is what I hear you say....:-) The whole thing baffled me a little bit.)  

This concludes my incoherent list of notes to myself. Thank goodness there is only one more week left!

BOOM!

Nap time.