they call me "miss gonzales" :oP

i'm lovin' this line from jason mraz's "sleep all day": "oh what a lovely day to have a slice of humble pie..." it makes me smile. :o)

since i've last blogged, it literally feels worlds away... how the heehaw did 4 days suddenly turn into 4 weeks, i have absolutely no idea - whoasers. one month into teacher's college, and i'm still trying to find a good sense of balance and routine; and maybe from time to time, some breathing space when necessary.

yet even with and after all the chaos of school, practicums, hours spent lesson planning, commuting all over the GTA, readings upon readings, journaling/documenting every single observation i make, and a few rounds of hexic and solitaire showdown over msn; i am still standing - a bit on the wonky-sleep-diprived side and a lot more humbled than when i started at the beginning of the term, mind you; but things have definitely kept me on my toes in a fabulous way that i'm thankfully still excited about.

i've been teaching the odd lesson here and there since september started, and my students have been quite receiving of me. maybe it's because i could still pass for a 16-year old, but i do hope it's actually because i'm doing something right as a "student-teacher" (an oxymoron of which i've come to fully appreciate these past few weeks :oP). and yes, being referred to as "miss gonzales" is *still* going to take a bit more time getting used to. :o)

the highlight of the day was having the early opportunity to teach my first full class: grade 12 english university level. the lesson in question? INTRO TO POST-COLONIALISM! (to my beloved crit kids, know that i fondly thought of all of you :oP) - of course, i was more than delighted to have the chance to plug in edward said's "orientalism" and the concept of the "other", with a bit of diaspora and eurocentrism on the side while critically analyzing and initiating discussion over a poem or two :oP 'twas fantastic ... and rather amusing :oD

next week, i make an attempt to lead a poetry study with my grade 10 academic class and then shakespeare with the grade 12s - "king lear" to be exact... this should be interesting :oD