Blog Post #9

I have realized over the past while that there are so many more components to being a professional teacher than just teaching. It is more than showing up at 8:30, getting through the day and heading home at 3:30. There are a million and one things that happen before,after, and during those hours you are on the clock. From missing work, to hurt feelings, to scrapes and injuries, misplaced lunches, missing backpacks and forgotten computer passwords. Drop-off duty, recess duty, lunch duty and all the duties in between. If it can happen in a day, it probably will. 
The main thing I learned from being in a classroom setting is to expect the unexpected, and when the unexpected happens to keep your cool. You may have a very specific lesson planned, that you have hammered out and you know will be a huge success and then the internet goes down and your computer freezes. How you handle these challenges are a huge indicator as to the success of your day.
During my service hours I was in class during a scheduled Lock Down. The principal got on the overhead system and let the school know it was just a drill, and what would take place. As soon as 'Lock Down' was announced, the door was locked, windows covered and the kids ushered to a point out of view. The kids were doing their best to keep quiet and quickly a lot of 'what if' questions started being whispered my way. I did my best to answer them, and assure the kids it was just practice. One little girl asked, 'What if we are crying, will the bad guys hear us?' I told her that if it were a real emergency, there would likely be crying but we would do our best to keep things quiet. I realized that at this point, a teacher is so much more to these small kids. During this time, they were the safety and comfort the children were needing.
After the time spent in the classroom, I do think that a teaching profession is still right for me. I was able to work with several grades, and have a love for the little kids. Kindergarten is my preferred age, but I know that any grade would have its ups and downs. I picked up some valuable class management tips while in the school. My favorite is having a plug in doorbell. When the button is pushed and the doorbell rings, the class knows that it is time to turn their voices off and attention to the teacher.
Overall my time in the classroom was well spent. At this point I will continue my education and continue my path to becoming a teacher.