Well, I completed Day #4 of my internship at Carter Elementary,
and I can safely say without any fear of contradiction that it was a day of
surprises, and at the same time, this day taught me so much about myself. Allow
me to explain what happened:
As soon as the opening bell rang, the little kiddies sat
down with their hands folded and their eyes on me. We were all awaiting Mrs. Martin
to walk in at any given moment, but she was running a little late, so I led the
children in our opening prayer and our good morning greetings and salutations.
Afterwards, we all sat quietly and awaited Mrs. Martin to step inside the
classroom—she still hadn’t shown up yet.
Well, I figured that I would at least go ahead and take
attendance, so I did… and I was glad to see that all thirty-five students were
present and accounted for. By this time, a whole half hour had passed, and
there was still no sign of Mrs. Martin.
I ain’t gonna lie to y’all—I almost thought the worst,
but I didn’t want to alarm the little ones, nor did I want to go into panic
mode. Thinking quickly on my feet, I told the little ones that I would be their
interim teacher until Mrs. Martin arrived… yes, I actually said “interim,” so y’all
already know that the children had asked me what that word meant. Well, like
any good teacher would, I wrote the word down on the board and said, “Here is
an example of interim: When you’re not at home with your mommy and daddy, you’re
here with Mrs. Martin, and she is your interim mom.”
“Oh!” one child exclaimed. “So, you’re saying that Mrs.
Martin is our schoolmom until we go home to our real mom.”
“Very good!” I cheered.
Imagine that—some of the little ones got it right on the
spot, and they were so proud to know that they guessed correctly. Of course,
that opened up the floodgates; some of the kiddies asked me if I knew of “any
other ‘grown-up’ words,” and I immediately holla’d, only because of the way
they asked me that question. Obviously, my mind had traveled elsewhere when I
heard that question—and yes, I admit that I was thinking of some other grown-up
words… hahahahaha! However, after I composed myself, I managed to keep the
conversation clean and I taught the kiddies my favorite word—clandestine.
Surprisingly, I gave a very simple definition; I explained to the kiddies that,
in order to keep something clandestine, it is to be treated like a secret. At
the same time, I let the kiddies know that there are certain situations where
they cannot keep things clandestine, particularly those things where someone
may be in danger.
About an hour and a half later, I was really into the
groove of my teaching, and just like that, Mrs. Martin walked into the
classroom. Come to find out, she was in the principal’s office the whole time,
listening to me over the intercom. She asked the little ones to give me a hand
for doing—as she so put it—“such a grandtabulous job,” and I simply smiled and
curtsied. Just then, the recess bell rang, and as the kiddies went outside to
play, Mrs. Martin made it perfectly clear that I was gonna be “one helluva damn
good teacher.” I thanked Mrs. Martin the onliest way I knew how—with a great
big hug of gratitude.
As y’all can see, I received yet more validation,
affirmation, and confirmation that teaching is truly my calling, and the
validation came from someone whom I admire and respect.
Now, mind y’all—this was only the first week of my
internship, and Heaven help me if this whole week didn’t just fly by. However,
if this is any indication of what the next thirteen weeks will be like, then I
say: BRING IT ON—I’M READY!!!
Until next time, y’all take care, and I may holla at y’all
tomorrow.
Hugs & Kisses,
Natasha
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