wish me luck! here i go!

lotsofwork.jpg
Originally uploaded by alipants.

This last weekend before school kicks in started off a day early, when Ernesto hit us. It was crazy! Lucky for us, we live in the perfect area to avoid the flooding that the rest of the Hampton Roads area got. I'm sure if it had been a stronger storm, or a hurricane, we would have seen a lot more. Our power flickered a few times before finally giving up, but was only out for a few hours. It was light enough to open the blinds and use that as light to get around the apartment.
Besides that, I've been trying to figure out what to do with this first unit. It's probably the hardest thing I've done so far because I've never done a unit on writing alone, especially this genre of writing. It's very specific as to what they have to learn and when, so I've been feeling the pressure! After this, the other units will probably seem a lot easier to plan.
Yesterday I was freaking out a little bit because I wasn't sure what to do, when to do it and so on. I don't really know how it's usually done and I'm not sure how we're expected to go through with this. Finally, I decided I had to take a breather or I was going to go over the edge. We went to Aromas, sat outside (it's now cool enough to do so), and I read some more of Everything But the Burden. This little time out gave me a nice recharge and reminded me that I can't do this wrong, as long as they're learning what they need to. Also, I shouldn't try to teach the way someone else has if it doesn't make sense to me; I need to make things work my way. Plus, my department head, AP and principal would let me know (in constructive ways, too) if I stray off-track and help me to figure out how to make it work. I'm glad I'm around people who realize that first (and even second and third) year teachers need a little more patience and advice. Otherwise, I would be majorly freaking out right now.
So, school starts tomorrow and I meet my students for the first time. I only have two big classes, which is nice. The rest are 19-22 students. I've been going back and forth between feeling confident that I can do this and survive and asking myself, "Why the HELL am I doing this to myself?! I can't be a teacher! I'm going to totally suck!". Then I remind myself: You cannot and will never be the worst teacher in history. I'm sure it'll all go well. I'm preparing myself for the ups and downs, but I'm pretty sure anything has to be better than my internship. It already is a lot more positive, helpful and supportive.