So, I enrolled in a ballet class last month because I hadn't done anything active with my body since I quit dancing (10 years ago, yep, got NO tone). I excitedly bought peachy/pink ballet slippers and anally sewed on elastics for them. I've been out of the loop, not only are the slippers made from leather but they also are made from canvas! I never knew.
Because of my past experience I figured I'd be good to go in level 2. It's like riding a bike right? Once you've done it, you never forget.
Let me tell you, muscles that haven't been used in 10 years, put up a SEVERE fight when you try to force them into positions again. Trying to keep my arm up felt like I was lugging around 10 pounds, and this when it never was an issue. My balance bid me goodbye as well. Strange that I never thought about any of these things when I was younger and taking 3-5 classes a week. By the end of class I admitted defeat to my atrophied muscles and staggered out. For the next 4 days I endured the protest of over-stretched muscles from my legs, arms, adbdomen, back and neck.
I keep going back for more and its getting easier I'm glad to say. I think my muscles have thrown in the towel now. I think they'll actually be grateful in the end.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
My random observations of children
After subbing for several weeks now, I really think that the world of students is quite amazing. The changes from grade to grade, their self-awareness. It's all been a good experience for me.
I had previously thought that I would never want to substitute teach. I didn't like the idea of just walking into a classroom and then trying to figure out how things were run and what routines the kids were used to. I still don't like that aspect but in return, I'm exposed to a lot of different methods of teaching.
The differences from class to class are substantial. One grade 1/2 class can be angels and the next will make you want to scream. Trust me, I've worked with both! I've learned a lot of patience and I've learned to laugh with the children when I make mistakes. Or maybe they're laughing at me, who knows?
What I've described above is only for elementary. Junior high is another universe. Here we see young adolescents with raging hormones and the desire to start expressing themselves as individuals. I think I myself was a rather mundane, boring adolescent since I did next to no rebelling against authority. You can't use the: "It's not nice to talk when others are talking. Make a better choice." speech with these kids. Instead, I turn into a shrew, yelling every 5 minutes at whatever these students choose to do to push me to my limit. And they'll try EVERYTHING. I have great respect for those who regularly sub at junior highs.
What I've also noticed now is the medication some students take. Be it for overactivity or emotional problems, many kids are prescribed something for a disorder. During one sub job I had to give medication out to the students at certain times. One student, who had been rather hard to control for the last half-hour before lunch, said to me: "This is why I get this way. It's because it's time to take another pill." He came back after lunch a little hyper but then settled down quickly to his work. I still don't know what I really think about meds. I still think they're over prescribed to young children.
My desire to teach stemmed from having had a wonderful teacher when I was in Grade 3. During my first year of student teaching I went through a rather harrowing practicum which I just barely survived. The second year went much better and now here I am. Just keep reminding yourself that they're only just kids and the day gets that much easier.
I had previously thought that I would never want to substitute teach. I didn't like the idea of just walking into a classroom and then trying to figure out how things were run and what routines the kids were used to. I still don't like that aspect but in return, I'm exposed to a lot of different methods of teaching.
The differences from class to class are substantial. One grade 1/2 class can be angels and the next will make you want to scream. Trust me, I've worked with both! I've learned a lot of patience and I've learned to laugh with the children when I make mistakes. Or maybe they're laughing at me, who knows?
What I've described above is only for elementary. Junior high is another universe. Here we see young adolescents with raging hormones and the desire to start expressing themselves as individuals. I think I myself was a rather mundane, boring adolescent since I did next to no rebelling against authority. You can't use the: "It's not nice to talk when others are talking. Make a better choice." speech with these kids. Instead, I turn into a shrew, yelling every 5 minutes at whatever these students choose to do to push me to my limit. And they'll try EVERYTHING. I have great respect for those who regularly sub at junior highs.
What I've also noticed now is the medication some students take. Be it for overactivity or emotional problems, many kids are prescribed something for a disorder. During one sub job I had to give medication out to the students at certain times. One student, who had been rather hard to control for the last half-hour before lunch, said to me: "This is why I get this way. It's because it's time to take another pill." He came back after lunch a little hyper but then settled down quickly to his work. I still don't know what I really think about meds. I still think they're over prescribed to young children.
My desire to teach stemmed from having had a wonderful teacher when I was in Grade 3. During my first year of student teaching I went through a rather harrowing practicum which I just barely survived. The second year went much better and now here I am. Just keep reminding yourself that they're only just kids and the day gets that much easier.
Friday, February 04, 2005
My shiftless, underachieving eye
I thought I would write here, for no good reason at all, about my trials and tribulations with my left eye. It lived an independent life, free-spirited and uncaring about it's mate, the right eye. In other words, it was lazy. It roved and had a mind of its own. It answered to no one but itself. For the 5+ years that I had it I'm sure it creeped people out to no end.
Whoever was responsible for handing out eyes must've been left with odd numbers. Instead of getting either two good eyes or two bad eyes I got one of each. Great, perfect. I should be thankful that I had two healthy eyes but I really would've liked for them to get along. In junior high my left eye (hereafter LE) began to go lazy as a result of deteriorating vision in it. My right eye (RE) remained with perfect vision. This means that I would have one eye go off and do its own thing while the other focused properly on whatever I was looking at. Makes for great kodak moments let me tell you! To compensate for my freakish eye I'd always shift so that I'd be standing towards my right side and look left into the camera. Left was LE's favorite spot. People who look at my photographs must wonder why the hell I liked showing off my left profile so much.
After years of this I underwent a surgery. the details of which I prefer not to think about. I walked around my campus with gauze over the offending LE which spurred great comments in our University paper such as: "Eye patches are not the fashion." No shit, you think I wore gauze on my eye because I thought it made me look hot? Oooh, sexy!
Today LE enjoys a somewhat lukewarm relationship with RE. They get along occasionally and sometimes they don't. Now that both eyes have prescription the gulf between them isn't so big. My eyes will never be normal but then that's no fun anyway.
Stay tuned for more pointless ramblings.
Whoever was responsible for handing out eyes must've been left with odd numbers. Instead of getting either two good eyes or two bad eyes I got one of each. Great, perfect. I should be thankful that I had two healthy eyes but I really would've liked for them to get along. In junior high my left eye (hereafter LE) began to go lazy as a result of deteriorating vision in it. My right eye (RE) remained with perfect vision. This means that I would have one eye go off and do its own thing while the other focused properly on whatever I was looking at. Makes for great kodak moments let me tell you! To compensate for my freakish eye I'd always shift so that I'd be standing towards my right side and look left into the camera. Left was LE's favorite spot. People who look at my photographs must wonder why the hell I liked showing off my left profile so much.
After years of this I underwent a surgery. the details of which I prefer not to think about. I walked around my campus with gauze over the offending LE which spurred great comments in our University paper such as: "Eye patches are not the fashion." No shit, you think I wore gauze on my eye because I thought it made me look hot? Oooh, sexy!
Today LE enjoys a somewhat lukewarm relationship with RE. They get along occasionally and sometimes they don't. Now that both eyes have prescription the gulf between them isn't so big. My eyes will never be normal but then that's no fun anyway.
Stay tuned for more pointless ramblings.
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