The End Is Near

This Friday, March 26th is the end of my student teaching. It has been such an enjoyable experience in so many ways. At the same time, it's also been difficult and tiring.

I recently had all my students evaluate my teaching, saying both good and bad things. Here are some of my favorites:

GOOD

You are hilarious!

You are always really happy and positive.

You interact with us so well on a personal level.

I love how you get to know the students so they're not just things.

You try to make the lessons fun, even when they're boring.

You teach in a way that helps me remember it.

You don't make me nervous to speak in French.

BAD

You never wear your hair up.

Your handwriting is too small.

You are a little spazzy.

You talk too fast.

You never have pizza/donut/ice cream parties.

We don't play enough games.

We don't take enough naps.

I love all 200 of my students. Even the ones who would rather nap than memorize French vocabulary words.

I formed a small choir of about 16 kids and I'm teaching them a French song that they can sing at the BYU Language Fair in mid-April. It's a slow, emotional, romantic number called "Dirait-On" (which means "So They Say"). It's a beautiful song and I am absolutely floored that the students are so musically capable. I'll be leading the song and counting out the rhythm and motioning for the tenors and basses to come in and one boy will say, "No, Madame Lee, you're not counting right. We need to come in earlier. That's an eighth rest, not a quarter rest." Wow. Okay.

I have begun the delightful process of searching for a teaching job in this poopy economy. I've had one interview so far and hopefully I'll have several more. Russ and I will be moving to Salt Lake sometime this summer, so I am looking for a school as far north as Syracuse and as far south as Provo.

I am so delighted to have a Spring Break this year. I haven't had one in five years. Unfortunately, I will be spending April 5-9 working at the bowling alley and looking for a job and creating a Teacher Work Sample and training for my summer job, but through all of that I'll have a song in my heart and a jaunt in my step because there's NO SCHOOL! Take that BYU.

Speaking of BYU...I am graduating in a month. I can't believe I'm old enough to do that. I ordered my cap and gown as well as 200 invitations, a keychain and souvenir tassel, and of course a stole of gratitude. Okay, I'm joking about everything but the cap and gown, which I only ordered because it was mandatory. I was dying of laughter when I read the size options. It said "Check one of the above: 1) 400-500 pounds, 2) 300-400 pounds, or 3) under 200 pounds." Seriously?