Spring Break Gym Goers

There are two weeks during the Spring semester that the gym is completely packed. The first week is the week Spring semester starts, and the second week is the week before Spring break. The first week of workout junkies happens because everyone is starting off their New Year's resolution of looking good. They workout hard for one week out of the year and feel that they have accomplished their goal. The week before Spring break is packed because people think it only takes one week to look good at the beach. They say that they are too busy to workout during other times of the year, but for some reason, the week of midterms they have all the time in the world. Now, usually this just makes me laugh, but when I can't get a treadmill because someone is walking at 3.0 for a mile it starts to bug me. It takes more than a week to get into shape, so for those you think you can do it in a week... you can't.

Almost Spring Break!

Spring Break is probably the best part of any Spring Semester. It is the Christmas of Fall Semester! Only 4 days away, however, I know as soon as it comes it'll be over just as quick. Whenever we get back though, only 8 weeks until the end of this semester, and then one more year until I am out in the real world! It's funny how the first two years of school you don't have too much concern for money. Freshman year I went to Niagara Falls for my 19th birthday, and last year, my roomates from Penn State and I went to Florida! Those were the good days! Now that I know how expensive life really is, and being so close to having a real life, I will spend my Spring Break working... how fun.

352

Teaching students for the first time can be quiet an experience. Some are afraid of you, some are extrememly well behaved, and others will do whatever they can to test you. I've been on 4 Field experience trips for 352 and each class brings different challenges. Most of the students listen out of respect for their teacher, but some students want to push us as far as we can go. I think it is challenging as student teachers because you don't know how much authority you have. You can't tell the kids the will be punshied for misbehaving because you don't have the power to do that. You can't say they are going to fail because you have no control over their grades. I think that whenever I have my class it'll be much easier to control class management because the students will respect me and the ground rules will be set on the first day of classes.

Hell Week

I have decided that teachers have formed together to pick which weeks they want to pile on the work for their students. It seems that every single semester there is one week, which most students call "hell week," that they have everything due. There is a test in each class, along with at least as many papers as you have credits. This year hell week seems to fall during the week right before Spring Break. Maybe teachers feel that it will make the students appreciate Spring Break more. It's not just at Slippery Rock either. I transferred from Penn State and we also had a hell week there at least once a semester, if not more. I don't know why teachers enjoy watching their students frantically try to get piles of work done in one week. Maybe whenever I am a teacher I will consult with my colleagues and decide on a week when we will have our students complete the bulk of their work for the year.