Lifelong Learning

So the student teaching blog thing may have not been a good idea, something about confidentiality possibly?? But I just finished reading a great book called 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny, a book written by a teacher about all the funny little teacher-y things, stories and view points.It has inspired me to make this list:

Things I Have Learned While Student Teaching

1. Lay out your outfit the night before and make a deal with yourself that there is no going back--THIS is what you are wearing tomorrow.
2. Don't spend time in front of the mirror in the morning wondering if that outfit makes you look fat; when you get to school, one of your third graders will tell you.
3. Students know that they're cute and it's okay to love them--but love them in your heart, so they don't try and take advantage of you in your classroom.
4. The students that you ride the hardest int he beginning of the year will sometimes surprise you and be the ones that cry the hardest when you leave.
5. You will cry when you leave.
6. Sometimes 9 weeks with your class will seem like a long time, until you have the revelation that when you're a real teacher, you could have a class like this for a whole year.
7. When you are teaching your students the rules and expectations that you're "only going to say once", keep in mind that you will say them again, every day, for the whole school year.
8. A four year old in a room of 29 four year olds doesn't know there are 28 other four year olds in that room when they are trying to get your attention.
9. Four year olds just like to tell you things. Specifically, everything. 
10. Four year olds like to tattle, but sometimes if you just say, "Ok," they will walk away completely satisfied. (See also #6)
11. The words "rest time" are deceiving. Especially for the teacher. There is no resting, only a 45 minute continuous stream of, "Get back on your mat, voices are off, yes, you can go to the bathroom, voices are off during rest time, no go lay down, next person who talks is getting play time taken away, yes go get a tissue, ok your name is going on my list, get back on your mat..."
12. Teaching it once is not always good enough. You will teach and reteach.
13. A lesson where you feel like things didn't go as planned is still successful if your students learned.
14. Your students won't know that you messed up if you forgot something while you were introducing new material--the opposite theorem takes effect if you are reteaching old material. They will know, and they will tell you.
15. Just because your students keep asking what happened to their other student teacher doesn't mean they won't learn to love you and miss you just as much when you are gone.
16. It's okay to show them your goofy side. AFTER you gain their respect.
17. Plan for EVERYTHING.
18. Your lesson plans will never have to be this intense again. Especially if you do them well the first time.
19. Your heart is now humpty dumpty and your students will break it and put it all back together again all year long.
20. Never give up on the babies!

Stay tuned for more!