Learning is a Journey- Alissa's Blog

This Tuesday marks the halfway point of our semester. There are ONLY 7 weeks left in the semester until I student teach. How crazy and exciting is that?! I've been thinking about that a lot today and how time really flew by in the semester but at the same time it's almost been going by pretty slow. If that makes any sense and if anyone can relate to how that feeling is. I have mixed emotions because I've been liking the time that I've had with my 1st grade class and I'd probably be emotional leaving them, but I'm also really excited to student teach and be one step closer to having my own classroom hopefully! Throughout the stressful time that any semester brings, I think that we should take a step back and really enjoy the moments that we get to have with our students before it's already the end of the semester and we move onto the next classroom. So, from this moment forward, enjoy each minute you get to spend with your kiddos in the classroom!!

Today I worked with some of my students on clapping out syllables in different varieties of words. A lot of them naturally clapped one syllable words as two, considering that the beginning of each word would be known as a syllable, when really it was one all together. For example, "ball" would be clapped by the students as "/b/ /all/" instead of "ball" all together. My teacher reminded me of something that stuck with me throughout that day in how I observed my students, that some habits are hard to break and that it would be a repetitive process to break that habit. Hearing that encouraged me to help the students fully comprehend how those words that I tested with them were only so many syllables. Like said, it was a process but nonetheless a rewarding moment when the students were able to distinguish the correct syllables with the words given. I learned that these students really don't have bad habits, just probably were taught in a different way ...

This past weekend I went home to see my family for the first time since my last semester here at Texas State has started! It was filled with lots of food, laughter, and pure joy. Looking back I realize how chaotic school can get with the amount of school work I have, yet my family reminds me of the support system I was blessed with and the endless amount of stories from my 1st grade classroom I get to share with my family. No matter what I'm doing 4 hours away, I know that I can always count on my family to encourage me and cheer me on through the weeks that start to get more challenging.

I recently started a new job with a small company called, "Teams of Tomorrow." It's a program for preschool children and older children in daycare to get the chance to develop basketball handling skills as well as learn academics in a fun environment. Yesterday I attended two classes to get a feel of what this new job may be like, and saying that I'm pumped for this job would be an understatement! Although in my opinion preschool children are a lot to handle, I think I could manage in having a fun time with these kids and also doing something basketball related (which I love!) Another fun memory was that the director introduced me to the children as "Ms. Alissa" and the kids said: "Hi Ms. Awissa" .... my heart may have skipped a beat!! It was the cutest and I can't wait to see how this new job goes.

Today was an ordinary day as it could be for a Texas State student. Although I'm not in classes for the day, I did what any bobcat would do in their free time. I went out for groceries, to get more supplies for school and did a lot of my school work to try to get ahead. I have to admit, I also did a lot of watching Catfish on MTV during my time of doing homework. But this bobcat also has plans for dinner and to see other people, as well as get ready for the upcoming day of school tomorrow! I named my blog "Learning is a Journey" because I noticed it from somewhere on Pinterest and it sparked a reminder inside of me that with school tomorrow, throughout this semester and so forth in my teaching career, learning will always bring a journey and constant memories. With that being said, I can't wait for what my last year here at Texas State has to come.