First day!

I survived the whole first day!

Honestly, that's probably the easiest day and I am incredibly tired.  It's a demanding job, that's for sure.
I forgot how tiring it was to stand in front of a classroom for any amount of time. 

It's funny though, how I used to get so nervous in front of my peers- I'd get blotchy all over and sometimes feel myself stutter.  Today, I wasn't nervous, actually.  I just didn't plan enough material for the kids and when they were all done their work, I could tell they were starting to get a little antsy to do something else.


"Take their age and multiply by 2 and that's about how long they can focus," Mike said, "in between, do something to get them moving or get their attention and explain what they're doing again."


The kids were very respectful though.  When I told them to stop what they were doing in a firm tone they stopped (most of the time.)  The only time when it was challenging was when we were outside and all the other kids were around them.  I'm not a fan of yelling, so I found that moment a little challenging, but nothing to get stressed over.

Later, the kids would approach me constantly "Stacey, I'm finished! What do I do now?"  And I had nothing.
"okay, write a few sentences on what your drawing is... okay now... (last resort now)  go pick out a book from the shelf to read"



Oh boy, and I thought I planned too much!

So I was told I would get $22/hour.  "Awesome," I though, "$22/hour, 6 hours!"
Nope. Well, I don't get paid for lunch. I don't get paid for prep.  I only get money for the time I'm actually in class teaching. So today, 3 classes, maybe 3.5 hours?  And the bonus- I meant to ask about the $150 northern bonus, but I honestly forgot. That would make a big difference though.

Isn't that just great?  They make it seem like a lot...

Well, that's just how it works I guess. 

Funny, I'm doing all the same work as all the other teachers and they're probably making twice as much as I am.  Some fancy teaching qualifications have something to do with that, but it still kind of sucks a little.  Nothing against them, nothing against anyone, it's just life I guess. 
You don't get the big dollars for being nice.

Oh well. I'm not here for the money, and it's not like I have to support a family.  Honestly, I'd be making more cash money working 8 hrs/day at a minimum wage job.  It just makes things a little more difficult I suppose. 

And, as tiring as it is, this is a really awesome learning experience for me.  So I just have to keep telling myself that and continue to do my best!

So yeah, it's hard.  It's demanding.  This is completely insane of me to just jump into.  But I couldn't be happier that I did, because I feel I have a lot to offer and in the end, they'll have given me more than I could ever ask for.
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