The First Day

Today marked the first day of school for the Ashland Interns. It was certainly interesting to say the least. We began the morning bright and early, only to be greeted by someone who had no idea interns were coming. Needless to say the morning brought with it lessons of patience and flexibility, but in the everything worked out.

The other Ashland intern and I were given the choice between two teachers. It was a difficult decision, because both had such different teaching styles and both had different classes. After we met with them both, we headed to a local lunch with our University supervisors and the other interns. It was an absolutely beautiful day and we ate underneath the awning of a downtown restaurant. It was here the decision was made about which mentor teachers we would select and returned to the school to let them know which mentor had who.

I am pleased to say that I will be teaching six full periods of eleventh grade honors English. What is even more thrilling is that the texts we are reading include Beloved, The Sun Also Rises, and The Great Gatsby. Thanks to the education I have received over the years, I have read all three texts, but I am going to have to work vigorously to re-read them before the students. Aside from my classroom, what pleases me most is the layout of the school. All of the hallways are outside. The seven buildings that comprise the high school are in an oblong shape, and in the middle portion is "the beach," or the concrete patio portion in which students walk to classes and hang out before school.

Overall, I have a positive outlook on the remainder of my experience. What is most nerve racking is that we begin to take over one period by Thursday, and three periods by next Wednesday. I am hopeful that I can make this happen, but it is still very little time to prepare so many lesson plans.