Ug. Planning.

This post is much LESS inspired than the last one! While my practicum is going well, it is uber stressful and more often than not prompts major frustration. The whole switch of not being told what to do, coupled with the whole, you still should try to do this close to how it is being modelled for you...well, it is all a bit frustrating! I LOVE the kids, they are sweet and generally well behaved. The school is great, the people are awesome, but it is just the PILES and MOUNTAINS of planning and marking and planning and planning that need to be done that put me off it. Thankfully, I have an awesome escape in the form of two girlfriends. Every saturday night we get together for dinner, wine, and dessert and we complain, laugh, cry, compare stories, ask for advice and plan. Usually we are up until 2 in the morning or so, and last night was no exception. It is amazing how good I feel after we have had our down time together, and then, it is amazing how frustrated I feel again the next day when I need to get down to business. I totally understand how students either get half-way through their practicums and quit, or how they finish and then decide they don't want to continue at all. Thankfully, I still want to continue, I still want to teach. I've been pretty lucky to have that practical side of me that prepared myself for the reality of being a new teacher. Not being home, planning to all hours of the night, multi-tasking with extra-curriculars, discovering and then being swamped with report cards, and just trying to survive that first year or two. I'm not saying I like those aspects, but I just realize they are realities in the teaching world. Does it put me off a bit? Yeah, for sure. But I still want to teach! Am I crazy?