Thrown Into the Fire

Well, my summer is coming to a close. More abruptly than I anticipated, but it's all good. I emailed my cooperating teacher yesterday of the class where I'll be student teaching. I told her that the email system at EMU is down and asked if she had tried to email me at that address. She sent back an email this morning saying that she did email me. She wants me to come into school to help get things ready... Tomorrow! No easing into it. One minute I think that I have the rest of the week free, the next minute I have visions of lesson plans dancing in my head.

Roll with it, Kelly, is what I keep telling myself. After all, that's what teaching is all about. Something isn't working? Think of something else. On the spot. Someone isn't getting it? Think of another way of explaining it. Right then. I know about many of the possible scenarios that could go awry when it comes to teaching. I'm prepared. But am I? Does this change in schedule throwing me off tell me something?

I think I'll be fine. At least I have admitted that it bothered me. But now I have to concentrate on starting tomorrow, going in again on Thursday, and then Tuesday next week (and probably more days).

I've been there before. Having a mom that was a teacher got me prepared for getting ready. We were always recruited in some way to help out with all her "to-dos". Everything from writing kids' names on crayons, to scrubbing down tables and chairs. We were on it. And I know I can be on it tomorrow.

I think what this feeling of panic may be attributed to is just a shift in schedule where I didn't think there would be one. I was all ready to have lunch poolside at a friend's house tomorrow, get things organized around the house on Thursday. Instead, the lunch was cancelled and I spent most of today organizing. For those Gilmore Girls fans out there (another one of my obsessions if you didn't know), it's like the feeling that Rory and Lorelai had when they realized that they had a day instead of a week before Rory went to Yale. Hurried and harried.

I'll be fine. Really. Change is good, right? Right.