Student Teaching Rant

I can't believe that I'll be halfway done with teaching at the end of this week. Honestly, the teaching makes the time just fly by. I always have a lot of grading and preparation to do in the evening. For instance, I'm back at the internet cafe right now because I need to print off examples of letters and persuasive writing. Then I have to make posters of said examples. Then I have to work on grading, and I have a LOT of grading to do. All tonight!

It actually makes me a bit worried for teaching. There is so much extra work beyond just classroom hours. There's lesson planning, and planning and organizing good lessons takes time. You have to plan the content as well as plan for possible management issues. Okay, then you have to seek out the material you need for your lessons. Then you have to put that material into a student-accessible format. You have to plan assessment material like tests, projects, rubrics, etc. Here, you have to grade student work for 100+ students, and in a timely manner because the department head needs them by Friday (for real). In the states, you have to get them up on an e-gradebook so students (and parents, eek!) can access them online. Gasping for breath...

It kind of makes me hesitate at the thought of becoming a teacher. But then I remember how much easier it is to organize things back in the states. Most US teachers don't have to submit requests for copies to the secretary - they do the copies themselves. An American teacher doesn't have to buy their own poster paper, markers, and tape. US teachers don't have to carry their chalk (usually whiteboard markers, now) from class to class. When I return to Duluth, I'll have internet access nearly 100% of the time - I'll easily be able to come up with examples of all kinds of texts for students to look over. And I won't have to carry my paper grade book in a folder - I could put it in Excel! I wish I would have disregarded my professors' advice and brought my laptop. Actually, they're wishing I would have, too.