The Night Before...

For the last three and a half years, I've been an elementary education major, planning and preparing for the day that I begin student teaching. 
Tomorrow is that day.

I'll be in a third grade classroom, and I know that there will be plenty of crazy things that happen; so, I'm blogging about my experiences.

In March, I'll be leaving the States and traveling to Spain to finish my student teaching, something I've also been preparing for for what seems like forever. 

Tonight I went out to Barnes and Noble and bought a few books that I'm bringing with me as options to use as a read-aloud with the class. The two I've decided to bring with me are The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo and The Doll People by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin. Kate DiCamillo's book is amazing; a professor read it to our cluster a couple of semesters ago and I thought it was a really great read-aloud chapter book. I haven't read The Doll People yet, but I've heard nothing but great things about it and I hope the kids really enjoy it.

I am nervously excited for tomorrow. Of course, I want all of my students to like me and I want to impress my mentor teacher--all the usual stuff--but what I want most out of this whole experience of student teaching is to learn. Honest to god. I know--it sounds so cliche! But I believe that children know and understand WAY more than we give them credit for, and I am very excited to watch, listen to, and learn from my students. I guarantee that I will look back on my posts this semester and I will have gained more insight from my students than I ever thought possible. 

So, here I go--into this world that I've been studying, hearing about, and practicing in for three and a half long years.