SURPRISE!

The first monday of the school year went pretty well. As a whole, the days are all going by smoothly. However this week in particular is very hectic.

On monday we talked about Harriet Beecher Stowe and "Uncle Tom's Cabin." I explained how it was a fictitious book but it was based in reality. Similar to reality TV, and one of the students right away was like "Oh man, so Uncle Tom's Cabin is just like the Jersey Shore." I stopped the conversation there, being shocked how Harriet Beecher Stowe and Jersey Shore were being referenced in the same sentence. I was sure to stop it before it turned into a discussion on which character is most like Snooky.

Another student in class started asking about John Brown because we were going to discuss him that day too. "Is he that guy that is [this] [this] [this] and [this]?" I was surprised there too, "Actually Evan that completely right, and you just brought up pretty much everything I was going to say about John Brown today." So I asked him how he already knew all that and the response caught me off guard. "Well I was watching the history channel last night and the episode was all about the US before the Civil War, I like watching the History channel because it's only one away from Bravo. I was flipping back and forth between that and the Real Housewives of New Jersey."

Today went pretty well too. All my classes were engaged and attentive. The lectures went well, American Idol got brought up in regards to the Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858. During my last period of the day I was in the middle of my lecture and I thought doing pretty well. And then SURPRISE! unannounced informal observation by the principal! He stayed for about 5 minutes in the back of the class. I thought I held my own pretty well. I was loud and clear when I talked, I was engaging the students and asking them questions. I was excited and enthusiastic about the material. At the end of the period, well after he left, I had to thank my students for doing so well while he was there.

So tonight is Parent-Teacher night. The parents go through a mini-schedule so they meet all their students teachers and get a glimpse of what it's like for the students to get lost and confused in the crowded hallways. I'm excited to meet all the parents, because I officially know all my students names now, but I'm freaking about it too. So we'll see how it goes

Also, tomorrow I'm getting observed by the director of the program I'm in. fun fun.