Dear Alexis,
I am writing from the
future to let you know that things WILL
work out in every way that you imagined. You are on the path in life that is
right for YOU. You are MEANT to be a teacher. Although CORE
can often be fuddled with superfluous information and teachers that question
your sanity, it is designed that way for a purpose. It is in the first year of
CORE that you put up or shut up, meaning that you buckle down and do the hard
work necessary to be successful OR
you quit. Always, always, always stick with it. You may cry a lot, and you may
question yourself and your choices regularly, but like you have always done,
know that whatever happens is meant to be.
When you are in your
student teaching internships, be CONFIDENT.
Don’t let your fear of failure you hinder you from performing at your highest
level. CORE is a learning experience and
you will gain so much confidence throughout your placements, so don’t sweat the
small stuff (literally stop sweating every time you stand in front of the class).
Learn from your mistakes and implement strategies to avoid them in the future. Remember
that you are a ROCK STAR. Your
natural talent, passion, and love for school is what will make you a fantastic
educator.
Go for WHAT YOU WANT. Whether this is in your
personal or professional relationships it is important to be a little forward.
Make people notice you because you are VALUABLE
but sometimes it takes some vulnerability on your part for this to happen.
Build meaningful relationships in each of these areas. Open yourself up to
something that will improve your outlook on life and make you a better person.
Ignore when people say
that you are “intimidating.” Use this to your advantage because what they most
likely mean is that you are confident, poised, and put together. While it is important to listen to others and
value their constructive feedback and opinions it is more important to trust
your intuition and instincts.
HAVE
FUN.
School and student teaching are STRESSFUL,
but you got this. You have always had the ability to overcome adversity and
surmount obstacles and this endeavor is no different. Take the time to work on yourself as well as
your teaching craft. Building and maintaining a work/life balance is of the
utmost importance and is your responsibility in order to attain satisfaction
with your life.
Oh, and don’t forget to SAVE ALL YOUR MATERIALS. Anything that has
to do with education or English instruction will be vital to your success.
Remember that short story anthology from Nature of Fiction? You will regret not
keeping that during your short story unit…
These materials are not only a representation of all the hard work and
commitment that you have dedicated in your four years at Wichita State, but
will be beneficial resources when you have a career.
Lastly, when it comes time
to start your job search and you feel utter despair because over half of your
class is getting employed, knock it off.
Things have always fallen in to place for you and this is no exception.
Maintain your confident and positive outlook on life and you are a winner.
You rock dude,
Alexis
3 comments:
Alexis,
Your confidence shines in this post. You will definitely continue to do fantastic things as an educator - I have no doubt at all. I love that you tackle both the big and small here - from sweating in front of class (you're not alone) to the much bigger goal of maintaining a work/life balance.
It has been a pleasure to go through this program with you and I suspect that you'll find yourself with a teaching job very soon (darn this budget crisis for leaving so many of our class waiting and waiting).
I wish you all the very best and know that you'll surely be an impactful educator for your students.
Best of luck always!
~ Keely
Ms. Fisher,
I have enjoyed reading your blog so much throughout this year! You always have such a positive attitude and though you've talked about being stress I have always seen you acting confident and that has always been infinitely encouraging to me. You always seem poised; I would not have guessed that you probably sweated in front of the classroom just as much as I have!
I also concur with you when it comes to saving your materials! I only began doing so in earnest this semester and if I could give a Core I student advice, my first bit of wisdom would definitely be focused on that. In addition, if I could go back, I would work harder on my student teaching notebook specifically. Have you seen Mr. Naylor's? It should definitely be used as a model for future Core IV students!
You're already an amazing educator, Ms. Fisher! I hope that we can keep in contact and share resources as we continue on to our own classrooms. Thank you for sharing your achievements and struggles this year.
- Ms. Pritchett
So much to love about this post, Ms. Fisher. Thanks for telling it like it is; thanks for being confident; thanks for going after what you want. The teaching profession is better because you’re part of it. You definitely DO rock, dude.
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