Things I Learned on Placement 2

Okay, so, today was... well let's just leave it at that. There were shining moments, there were moments that I would have preferred not to witness. In the end, all my students are alive and complaining. Job well done I say. And really, I've come to realize that complaining is like breathing. It's a sign that students are healthy if not happy.

Anyway, on to the things I learned. Because I must share all newfound wisdom.

1. I was really tired today. I was yawning (discreetly from my seat in the back) and my AT noticed. She came over and asked what I was so tired about. I honestly didn't feel like discussing it. So I told her the truth. I'm PMSing. Conversation drifted away from me and she started talking about her own sleep patterns. Given other information I've gathered, near strangers do not want to hear about your menstrual cycle, regardless of gender. This is a very useful piece of information. 
2. I was hanging around after school, trying to sort out a few things. Then I got the bright idea to suggest a new seating plan. Big mistake. I wound up sitting opposite my AT and before I knew it, I had twenty five new assignments to grade and two math lessons to teach over the next two days. Prior to that fateful moment, I only had three activities (25 assignments for each) to grade and one lesson to plan. Let this be a lesson to everyone who lingers: Get your shit together quick and bolt! 
3. Time is a curious thing. When you're working your butt off to get to the end of the day, time moves slower. When you desire nothing more than to curl up with a book and go to sleep, time speeds up. I swear, I only sat down for an hour and all of a sudden it was ten o'clock. So... no grading for me tonight. I'm going to go to bed early and hope that I stop feeling like garbage by tomorrow morning.
4. When a middle aged man approaches you and says something along the lines of "laminar flow" he isn't interested in your menstrual cycle either. I kid... I didn't think he was. What he will be, is a high school physics teacher looking at the bulletin board behind you. When you tell him that you're about to teach a lesson on bridges and how density, viscosity and mass all affect the bridge, he'll look something like a kid at Christmas and proceed to explain all kinds of principles, show you youtube videos and make connections to material you've never even heard of let alone taught. It was amazing. I wish I could have gotten him to stay because he was really interesting and he knew his stuff. Unlike a certain former English/history major I know.

The last one was completely random, but it made my day. I learned some new things, the material made more sense to me afterward and if nothing else, I made him smile. I hope when I repeated some of what he told me that it made sense and helped the kids.

So, these are the things I learned. In short, talking about your menstrual cycle is a great exit strategy no matter who your audience is, always run when you have the chance, never trust clocks and always be on the lookout for someone who can teach you something new.

Lauren.