I Always Knew I Was Exemplary, Now I Have Written Proof

Well my latest teaching placement has come and gone, and I am back up in North Bay right now. I must say, that I missed the dirty, snow and junkie filled town that I have been calling home for these past few months. A huge smile came across my face as I saw the North Bay sign, and an even huger smile came across my face when I noticed all of the snow that has fallen. It reminded me yet again why I love winter in this country so much. It is hard to be mad or cranky when there is pure white fun falling from the sky.

While I am glad to be back up here, I am really sad to be done down there. I said goodbye to my students a few days ago and I miss them a lot already. I was really worried when I found out that I was going to be in a Grade 8 class, since I don't remember being all that plesant at 13. But those kids completly changed my ideas about that. I absoluetly loved working with all of them. They were so funny, and their personalities had yet to be crushed by the cruelty that is High School.

On my last day, they gave me a card, which they all signed, and all took turns hugging me. They kept asking me if I was going to teach at St. Paul's (the local High School, that they are all going to next year) since they wanted me to be their teacher. It melted my heart when they left. I am so curious to find out how they all do in the coming months and years. The hard part is that I doubt I will ever really find out how they made out. I guess I will be left with an entire career of wondering ahead of me. One of those things I guess I didn't prepare myself for getting into this profession.

After all of the students left I sat down with my Associate Teacher and he showed me my Practice Teaching Report that he had prepared for me. We get ranked on a lot of different categories on a four point scale of Exemplary, Proficient, Adequate and Does Not Meet Expectations. And well, I did quite well for myself, earning a mark in all of the categories of at least Proficient, with several Exemplaries in there. Also, there was a space for each of the past three weeks, and I was ranked as Proficient in the first two and Exemplary in the latest one. Needless to say, I am really impressed with myself, and slightly humbled by it all. Apparently I am doing the right thing for me after all.

For the first time in a really long time, I really felt like things were coming together for me. It seems like so long ago I was suffering through my days working at an office job I couldn't stand. Or suffering through having no job at all and being quite depressed, but too far away from people who could help me out with it. Yet now, here I am, doing what I was wanting to do all along and being genuinely happy with it all. Now don't get me wrong, I am really very glad that my life has taken the slight detour of the past two years, but it is so nice to be back on the track that I was destined to be on.

But now that I am back up North, I will be here for a few weeks and then flying to Nova Scotia for Christmas on the 18th of December, only to come back to Ontario shortly after the big C-Day, just in time for a wedding on the 30th (which is my birthday, need I remind any of you!!!). Then back to North Bay for a super long 6 week stretch in January and February before going on a new placement at a different school. Oh right, with many blog entries in between all of that life there.

To my NipFriends, I honestly hope that your time on placement was a blast. I know that you all did a great job and I hope that your AT and your students realize just how awesome of a job you are all capable of!!!

Until next time,

G