Productive Relaxation

It's 8:30 and I'm in a bar watching the Phillies, drinking a Yeungling, and typing this blog. Yep, I'm that dork in the bar with her laptop out (if I had a nickel...). My only saving grace is that two of my fellow cohort members are with me, laptops out, lesson planning in full effect. It might seem strange (and yes, we are getting some weird looks from the group of undergrads taking shots in celebration of the Phillie's stab at a second World Championship) but we are multi-tasking and proud of it! Most of us in the secondary TEP are on our second week of student teaching, and the need for a little productive relaxation is apparent.

It's been a week since I took over teaching a ninth grade World History class. The experience has been eye-opening, character-building, a tad stressful...but also fun. What really stands out to me when I think about the last week is how much I've relied on the support of my fellow cohort members. Each one of us is transitioning to teaching at about the same time, so we can all identify with the new experiences as we take the reigns for our respective classes. The support I get from my classmates is awesome--I can't say enough about how comforting it is to know that your friends are feeling the same things you are and having similar experiences. We take it a step further and talk about strategies to overcome obstacles and how to incorporate the constructive criticism we receive into our next lessons. It is truly a team environment.

Speaking of team, I'm neglecting mine. I'm off to finish watching the game, but no I'm not putting my laptop away, despite the sideways glances from the undergrads.