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I sit here in anticipation of my second year of school starting in less than a week. I’m eager to delve into all the prep we’ll be doing for student teaching this spring, but I’m also a bit weary with all the talk of the teacher strike in the air. I’m also eager to be back on the school routine, as my summer has been a strange mishmash of commitments. August, in particular, has been jam packed with travel and activity, so much so that I am looking forward to a Labor Day with absolutely no plans. Dork that I am, I may start previewing all the new textbooks I’ll be getting in the mail. So, do you want to know my class schedule?

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This fall, I’ll be taking the following courses:

• Methods of Teaching Math at the Elementary and Middle School Level
• Methods for Teaching at the Middle School Level
• Student Teaching Internship (Classroom Management)
• Methods for Teaching Math at the Middle School Level
• College Mathematics

If you’re thinking, “that’s a lot of math on your schedule,” you would be correct. The College Mathematics course is a final preliminary undergraduate course that I’m finishing up. I thought it would be smart to save it for when I was learning how to teach math, and we shall see how that theory holds up. Math is not my strong suit, so this semester feels a bit like a challenge to me. I do have, however, truly excellent classroom management skills. I’m sort of excited to shine in that department. Honestly, I’ll be working extremely hard this semester to maintain my 4.0 while also working 20 hours a week. I’m pretty sure I can do it, and I hope to share some insight on work/school/life balance later this semester.

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I mentioned that I’m a bit weary of the teacher’s strike. Let me first say that I do think the teachers should strike so that they can continue their contract negotiations and work towards something that feels like a better solution. If you’re interested in what is currently happening with the strike, I’d recommend this article. Here is another great article that goes into what Rahm offered the teachers (this happened near the end of July). I don’t feel like I know enough of the situation, even with everything I’ve read, to really speak to what the teachers want or even try to guess how this whole situation will play out. The only thing I feel confident speaking about is my concern for what this will mean for students (undergraduate and graduate) working to become teachers this year. I’m nervous for how our student teaching roles will be affected. We don’t have a dog in this fight, and really, we shouldn’t, but I’m hopeful to find out next week that our program has some sort of contingency in place should there be a long term strike. I’m also concerned for all the students who live in impoverished neighborhoods should the strike take place. I’m hopeful that resources will be offered to those children so they aren’t alone during the day. It’s odd to watch this situation from the outside and even odder to think that one day I will be a real part of the conversation.

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I’m excited to share lesson plans, thoughts on the program, and my adventures about Chicago with you all this year. If you ever have any questions or an idea for a blog topic, please feel free to email me or leave a comment here. My goal for the year is to share as many resources as possible so that this blog can lead new students and teachers to tools for their classroom. I also hope to share stories of my work with students. I haven’t been in a school this summer, so I’ve been really soaking up any moments with my family’s children (as you can see from the above photo). Have a good week, and I’ll see you around campus!