Filer la prof (Shadowing the teacher)

Yesterday (Thursday), I "shadowed" Holly, the French teacher for whom I'll be teaching for 3 months during her maternity leave. I introduced myself to her classes, gave them a little information, and they asked me some questions. She is super cool. Her students seem to really like her. The classes all have a good energy and seem positive and fun. We have a lot in common as teachers, but unless she just toned it down, I'm much more sarcastic and sassy. I try not to be, but sometimes I get so comfortable with my students I all of a sudden realize, hey - I'm being really sarcastic, and that is generally not a good thing as a teacher even if students think you're funny.

I was really put at ease. I have no classroom management concerns at all. It'll be nice not teaching 6th grade. They suck the life out of me. Those who know me well know that it's most natural and easiest for me to teach older students. I'll be teaching 7th, 8th, and 9th graders. I'll have 2 French I's, 2 French II's, and 1 French III. Having 2 new textbooks, a new curriculum, and 3 preps will take a little getting used to. I'm going from 30 min. classes a day at PJHS to 50 min. classes, which is definitely a good thing. We'll have time for reteaching, practice, enrichment, games, skits, etc...At PJHS, it was always a race to cram in what you could. I think a lot of relationship is lost when that happens. You don't have much 1 on 1 time or time for tangents. I'll have my own classroom at Washington and share with the French teacher at Wilson for 1 class. The junior high's are run like mini high schools and not middle schools, so I'll have a lot of autonomy. Although FL is optional, it's treated as a real class and not just some extra, unimportant thing.

I was helping French III with papers they were writing, and I already am having to refresh myself on vocabulary that I haven't taught since student teaching 6 yrs ago or teaching high school 5 yrs ago, like "ice skating rink" and "pickle." I'm excited to regain a lot of forgotten vocabulary. Holly has a student teacher who will be with me for several weeks. I gained some interesting information about her which could make that situation interesting. Ask me for more details if you're curious. Holly made a pt of us eating with the other Foreign Language/ELL teachers in the lounge, and we all got to introduce ourselves. They seemed very nice and accepting of me.

Holly could really go into labor at any time. She's due 10/15, but you never know, so I'll try to be as prepared as I can be to take over any day now. I have the textbooks and 2 of the 3 curriculum guides. I'll shadow her 1 more time hopefully before she delivers.