Unexpected Joy.A leaching intern intern /in·tern/ (in´tern) a medical graduate serving in a hospital preparatory to being licensed to practice medicine. in·tern or in·terne n. discovers how fifth graders can confound con·found tr.v. con·found·ed, con·found·ing, con·founds 1. To cause to become confused or perplexed. See Synonyms at puzzle. 2. first impressions Day One It's 7:30 a.m. My first day as an intern! I enter the empty classroom and try to calm the butterflies in my stomach. My inner voice keeps asking: "Will the students like me?" "Can I handle more than 30 children all by myself?" "Should I smile?" Thankfully, I am soon joined by the two fifth-grade teachers to whom I am assigned, and they welcome me warmly. "Don't worry," one of them reassures me, "you'll get the hang of it in no time." If only I could! All at once, the students pour into the room. The girls rush to whisper in small groups, while the boys show off and horse around. Something I didn't expect is the size of these fifth-graders. At five feet, four inches, and 115 pounds, I am barely bigger than most of them! After greeting the students and introducing myself, I finish brightly with "Any questions?" The children's eager response catches me off guard. From the girls: "What grades did you get in school?" "What was the highest grade you ever got?" And from the boys, questions of a much more personal nature: "Are you married? I don't see a ring." "How old are you?" One boy, whom I have been told has a reputation as a troublemaker, wisecracks, "Can I have your phone number so I can call you sometime?" A few children giggle; others seem embarrassed for me. For my part, I'm speechless. I spend a few seconds organizing some materials on my desk until I regain my composure and then simply plow ahead Verb 1. plow ahead - proceed (with a plan of action); "He went ahead with the project" go ahead act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy with a lesson as if nothing has happened. Throughout the day, my tension eases, helped in great part by the girl seated next to me. She leans over often to share her books with me and to whisper points about the lesson. Her kindness restores my faith in the sweet and simple generosity of childhood--and reminds me that this is a two-way street. Day Two Today the two teachers go over various classroom routines with me: journal time in the morning, the breakdown of the two-hour language arts language arts pl.n. The subjects, including reading, spelling, and composition, aimed at developing reading and writing skills, usually taught in elementary and secondary school. block, and so on. It feels good to have this structure taking shape. I continue to cross swords with my rude inquisitor INQUISITOR. A designation of sheriffs, coroners, super visum corporis, and the like, who have power to inquire into certain matters. 2. The name, of an officer, among ecclesiastics, who is authorized to inquire into heresies, and the like, and to punish them. of the day before, but at least now I'm bold enough to reprimand REPRIMAND, punishment. The censure which in some cases a public office pronounces against an offender. 2. This species of punishment is used by legislative bodies to punish their members or others who have been guilty of some impropriety of conduct towards them. him when necessary. I wonder: Is this child going to be a problem all year long? Day Three By now I've memorized almost all the students' names. My overseers approve my social studies lesson plans for week three, which is when I am to begin taking control of that subject--one of the competency requirements of my internship internship /in·tern·ship/ (in´tern-ship) the position or term of service of an intern in a hospital. internship, n the course work or practicum conducted in a professional dental clinic. . The children are more accepting of me as an authority figure, and they seem more comfortable asking me for help with any lesson problems. Best of all, I've enlisted my inquisitor as Official Chalk Board Monitor, with exclusive command of the eraser, and he's suddenly turned into my faithful ally. I am getting the hang of it! Julie Ponce now teaches third grade at Gratigny Elementary School elementary school: see school. , in Miami, Florida “Miami” redirects here. For the Native American tribe, see Miami tribe. Miami is a major city in southeastern Florida, in the United States. It is the county seat of Miami-Dade County. Miami is a gamma world city with an estimated population of 404,048. . |
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