Week of October 8-15/2011

This week was really short. Only one day with the kiddo’s. I miss them terribly, and every time I get to see them it’s like the best day ever. I was really surprised to see Karen, she hurt her leg about a week and a half ago, and was told by doctors to be at home on bed rest. She came in to class anyways, we had a guest speaker, she spent the whole day at her desk, and I got to teach. It was AWESOME! I got to teach math, re-teach and etc. At first it was a little nerve racking, but I did my best to step in to the role, and to relieve Karen’s stress. I was so mad that she had come to school; she couldn’t even get up without hobbling around looking like an old woman.

I had the most wonderful experience of meeting a holocaust survivor. It was probably one of the most amazing moments in my life. He talked to the class about what it had been like for him, and all that he had learned and has achieved in his life. It was really interesting listening to his point of view about how people who believe the holocaust is false are unbelievable. I had never thought of what it might be like to actually be a holocaust victim and hear those kinds of words. I was also interested to see if students would understand or get what it was that Alter was relaying to them. I wasn’t sure that 6^th graders would appreciate his message, but I was surprised. I saw some students cry, and I witnessed student after student thanking Alter after his presentation, telling him that his message had changed their lives. It was really neat for me to witness as a future teacher – to understand what students are capable of appreciating.

I am looking forward to this week. Just one day again, and this time with no children. I have parent teacher conferences all day. This will be my first real interaction and witness of the parent/teacher relationship. I am really hoping to learn a lot, since this is one area that stresses me out the most. I have dealt with parents before, but I am excited to learn and grow and witness new experiences and interactions with parents.