Jan
25
emotional processing
Posted by: Natasha Chiang | January 25, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Today was a difficult day to get through mostly because of the stress and fatigue that has been building up over the past few weeks. I was very emotional because I put so much stress on myself for no good reason. I have to learn to let go, and be still. To reflect on silence and quiet, rather than the units of study that I plan to deliver. I am very thankful for the supportive cohort that I have, who are so empathetic and loving to each other as we all have our breaking points. It’s a very intense program, and I work part time on top of it. I will be glad to stop work completely in March, during the time I am teaching 100% in my practicum school. It will be good for me not to be balancing so many commitments at once; the full- time ness of practicum will be overwhelming enough.
There are so many great lessons that I am learning while on practicum. Still, some mornings I feel so overwhelmed by the previous day that I feel uncertain about my ability to continue. Though I am almost completely prepared in terms of my unit planning because I started my research and planning early, I have come to realize how vulnerable I really am when I am the teacher in the classroom lesson. I push myself very hard, but I must learn to allow myself the processing time. This trial and error phase is inevitable, and I must be okay with falling and getting hurt a few times in order to learn the most important lessons about resilience in teaching. Overall, I am learning most about my style of planning and communicating.
Jan
6
Planning
Posted by: Natasha Chiang | January 6, 2013 | Leave a Comment
It is way past midnight and I am still planning away for the unit plans I want to teach during my long practicum (which starts in April!). I cannot believe how difficult it is to create my plans. I think that I am too focused on the logistics of it; I need to think outside the box and make my plans using the Big Ideas that I want to teach my students.
I have far too much paper on my desk, I look like I have an important job. I don’t feel like a student in this program, I feel like I am constantly challenged to be professional and on-task. It is actually quite enjoyable, if not so stressful. I need to stay in the present, and keep breathing deeply. I wish inspiration would come already, and my plans would fall into place. This blog post is partly to flush out my frustrations in hopes of clearing some mental space to sort through all my ideas…
It is daunting to think that there will be no spring break nor summer break until I am done the program in August. It’s going to be a rollercoaster ride.
Dec
16
Holiday plans
Posted by: Natasha Chiang | December 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment
It is exciting to finally have time to do something other than attend lectures or write assignments. Aside from a little holiday shopping, I will be mostly spending this holiday season preparing for our spring fundraisers for Busolwe Mango Grove Junior School with my colleagues Stephanie Sammartino and Hannali Popoca Fehr. Many of my blog posts about my service in rural Uganda can be found under the tag “Africa”.
Though our fundraising initiative is no bigger than a few schools each year, depending on our connections, it is meaningful for us to share our story with the students at those schools. With the support of a few schools, this rural school has grown from just these students to 200+ students in K-6 taught by 9 teachers.
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