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My Next Big Leap

  This semester for my month of practicum, I knew that I was going to be assigned to a 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th grade class. The night before we were getting our placements, I told my roommate that I would be so happy with any grade BUT sixth, because I knew that I would NEVER teach sixth grade. Ever. Well, you can guess what happened the next day. I got my placement.... Sixth grade. I didn't CRY, per say, but I was definitely a little teary-eyed walking through campus. I had a two hour break before I needed to be at work, so I got on my computer and researched the school and classroom I would be in. To add insult to injury, I learned that I would not only be in sixth grade, I would be in an ACCELERATED sixth grade. I lamented that now not only would all of the students be TALLER than me, but they would also be SMARTER than me.
     
     So I came to the conclusion that I was supposed to have this experience in sixth grade to confirm the fact that I would never ever be a sixth grade teacher. The night before practicum started I woke up about every hour I was so terrified, and those who know me well know that I NEED my sleep. My sisters call me Grandma because I'm always the first one to go to bed. The first day went well despite the lack of sleep, but I left still fully believing that this would be the extent of my experience in sixth grade for the remainder of my career.

   Everything changed when I started teaching. I taught a little of everything: Ancient Rome, math, science, literacy, and so on. Teaching sixth grade didn't feel like work. It didn't matter that I was being evaluated, it didn't matter whether I was stressed, had other things on my mind, or even if I'd had the stomach flu all weekend and still felt awful. When I was teaching, I became a version of myself I didn't even know existed. I was just telling my mom yesterday that I thrived more during those four weeks as  teacher and was more passionate about my career than I had ever been before. I loved the material, I loved relating it to the students' lives, and I LOVED the students!

   During my last week of practicum, I interviewed for an intern teaching position. I spent the entire afternoon at work that day staring at my phone. It came to the point where I had to HIDE it under my desk so that I would stop checking it and get my work done! Well, eventually it rang and the principal of Art City Elementary offered me an internship. She said that it would be either 1st, 4th, or 6th grade, and that she would call in the next few days when she had decided for sure. Before I even hung up the phone, I knew exactly what grade it would be. Sure enough, the next day she called back and told me I would be a SIXTH GRADE intern! Yes I cried again, but this time the tears were happy ones!

YES my students will all be taller than me!

YES I sometimes can't sleep at night because ideas are churning in my head!

YES I'm a little bit terrified!

YES I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

  I am so thankful for the many ways in which I have been prepared for this next big leap. I am so thankful for a Heavenly Father who knows me better than I know myself. I am so thankful for my friends and family who have supported and continue to support me. Finally, I am so SO thankful for my past teachers who are my heroes, who have helped me become the person I am today, and who have inspired me to want to be a teacher!

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