Active Job

One of the things that makes me so happy is that while I am technically student teaching, I am also an aide in the classroom, so I am getting paid. Since I can't be in my first home, this placement is a close second. I LOVE my mentor teacher. She's just the sweetest and so helpful. The teacher next door has also taken me under her wing and has shared stories and curriculum. I feel so lucky.

Another thing that makes me happy is how active the classroom is. I am hardly ever sitting down at work. We are always going for walks, hikes, playing a sport, or just moving our bodies. Yesterday we went to the botanical gardens at our local community college.

This was a wonderful, long walk through some of the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen. The students learned a lot about plants but also got a lot of exercise in.

Since fitness is a passion of mine, I firmly believe that all students can benefit from daily activity. I don't think we are meant to be sitting in desks and I wholeheartedly believe students learn much better if they have the chance to move around.

Today we played tennis. We had the wrong code to the tennis courts, so my mentor teacher had the students play in the hall. Our students need a lot of work on gross and fine motor skills, so tennis was a great way to get their heart rate up and work on these skills. Plus I got to play right along with them. I also learned that I need to brush up on my tennis skills.

I cannot wait to bring some of my exercise experience into my own classroom some day. I want to get my students excited about moving their bodies while learning practical skills at the same time. We have taken a number of walks around town to do Community Based Instruction. I am so glad that I get to mix my two passions (education and exercise) together. This is going to be such an exciting journey.