Like anything else, starting student teaching provoked a ridiculous amount of anxiety in me. I slept a total of one broken up hour of sleep the night before. I was so nervous because, for me, student teaching would not be an extension of what I experiences last semester. For me, Student teaching was going into the unknown all over again. Last semester I was placed in a 10th grade High School class. This time around, I was walking into an 8th grade English Language Arts class. To some, the two grades may not seem like much of a difference. I would venture to say those that say that are probably not teachers or parent. When it comes to adolescence, two years are as distanced as the United States is from China. They are world apart in terms of maturity and from a pedagogy standpoint, the students have different requirements academically. I had to go in with the mindset of everything being new and different so my mind could remain open to the necessary change.
From the minute I walked into my new school I had the best vibe. Unlike my previous host school, the people are incredibly friendly and welcoming. My cooperating teacher calmed weeks worth of anxiety in ten minutes. He is an indescribably down to earth guy. He made me feel like a welcomed guest in his classroom, not a burden that was thrust upon him. He immediately introduced me to the classed, unlike me previous coop who didn't introduce me for 3 weeks. It was just a night and day experience. I immediately felt the dread of student teaching dissipate. Dread was replaced with hope and excitement.
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