It is hard to believe that I haven't updated my blog since December of 2013 - time sure has flown by this semester. I suppose that is what happens when you are in your last semester of college. I'll give some updates about what I have been up to this semester - please forgive me if I am a bit brief and if my sentences are run-ons and stop making sense (haha)! My mind moves a lot more quickly than my hands can type!
In January and early February, I hung out a lot at ISU. I didn't start my student teaching experience until mid-February, so I was enjoying the extra down time that I had. I knew things were about to get hectic once student teaching began, and I was correct!
I have been student teaching at Morton High School since the middle of February, and my placement is a duration of 12 weeks. I am working with mostly 9th and 10th grade students, teaching Spanish I and Spanish II levels. For the most part, I have really enjoyed my student teaching and really grasped the concept of all the responsibilities of being a teacher. It has been somewhat of an emotional roller coaster at times, but this experience is definitely worth it and I know that this is a profession that I wish to continue throughout my life. I love the passion and drive that I feel, and mostly I love that I learn something new every day with this job. Whether it is learning something new about my students, my coworkers, myself, my content, or something totally unrelated to any of those things, I have never passed a day of this experience where I haven't learned something. Something totally nerdy that I realized that I LOVE is having my own plan book. I love how organized and pristine it looks, and I love it even more after planning each week, erasing activities, drawing arrows to readjust, scribbling in my thoughts and reflections on what to modify for the next class period, and more. I just love monitoring my progress and I enjoy having the extra pairs of eyes to help me improve my teaching methods and build rapport with my students.
On the other hand, as much as I have learned from this experience, I have learned that it is so difficult to maintain a personal life and keep in close contact with many of my friends. My schedule is so busy day in and day out, so when I finally get a spare moment, I usually spend it laying on the couch and watching junk TV (don't hate me... I know we all do it). It has been awesome having a support system via friends, family, and fellow student teachers with whom I can share my joys, sorrows, and frustrations. They are always encouraging me and give me such positive support, and I truly appreciate it. Without all of you guys, I would not have made it through this experience! My student teaching finishes up on May 2nd, and I will be graduating May 9th (What's that look on your face... shock!?) I KNOW!!! I cannot believe it either. It is so close - these four years of college have truly flown by. Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking in retrospect, pondering the abundance of opportunities and experiences that I had throughout my collegiate career. I wouldn't change anything if I had to do it all over again. Between making lifelong friends, advancing my academic interests, networking with colleagues, studying abroad, learning to become self-reliant but also leaning on my support when necessary, and so many other activities in between, these four years have been amazing. I am blessed to have had such an insightful and jam-packed college career, truly embracing the lifestyle of a college student.
So, you are probably wondering, "So what, you graduated college? It doesn't mean anything unless you do something with it." Well, I was certainly in the same boat as every other college kid freaking out about what they are actually going to do with their life up until last week. Back in September, I applied for a Fulbright Scholar position to teach English in South Korea. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide. The program currently awards approximately 1,900 grants annually in all fields of study, and operates in more than 140 countries worldwide. Fulbright U.S. Student alumni populate a range of professions and include ambassadors, members of Congress, judges, heads of corporations, university presidents, journalists, artists, professors, and teachers. It was such a prestigious and taxing process, but I have always been a little ambitious and known to go after what I want and not stopping until I get there. I finally found out last week that I have been accepted, and I will be teaching English at a middle school or high school in South Korea for one year (July 2014 - July 2015). I am so excited, as teaching abroad has been one of my dreams since my study abroad experience during my sophomore year of college. It will be so difficult to be away from all of my loved ones for an entire year, but I know that this experience will be a chance of a lifetime, and I will be back before you all know it! I cannot wait to blog about my experiences abroad and share with you all that I encounter. I officially leave on July 4th (how ironic, Fulbright always says how we will serve as cultural ambassadors of the United States), so I have a few months to hang out with everyone and enjoy this time in the good ol' USA until I return in 2015. During my year as an English Teaching Assistant in South Korea, I will live with a host family, which I am very pleased about. I am sure I will love them as much as I love my host family in Spain!
Some of you may wonder, "Why Asia? Aren't you a Spanish major?" Well, your question is valid. I like to see that my passion for the Spanish language developed into a passion for various languages, literatures, and cultures all across the world. I also minor in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and my courses and professors throughout my last two years of college have really encouraged me to give this a shot. I have never been to Asia before, and I have always wanted to learn another language, so this will be the perfect opportunity! I also have a few friends who are South Korean, and one of my professor/mentor is also South Korean and she has been one of my main motivations for pursuing this opportunity.
Okay, aside from all this boring talk, you all probably want to hear some funny stories that have happened this semester. I really like to embarrass myself in front of my students. My 2nd and 3rd hour classes are as quiet as can be, and so I begin these classes with a popular song that has been translated into Spanish and sing and dance in front of them. Unfortunately, they still give me blank stares and straight faces, but I will keep trying! Eventually they will come around (maybe when I'm gone, haha!).
The other day, one kid must have had too many beans for lunch, because someone was letting it rip in the middle of our class (it smelled worse than rotten eggs). This naturally led into a discussion of my most embarrassing story because it also related to farting and bad scents. I will tell you all my story too. I was sitting in Chemistry II class my junior year of high school, and I sat behind this really cute boy. I was singing "Higher Love" by Steve Winwood, and I really had to fart, but I was trying to hold it in. Well, I couldn't hold it in anymore so I tried to sneak it out quietly. Naturally, it did the opposite and it reverberated off of my seat and ended up farting so loud everyone heard. The cute kid in front of me turned beat red. All I could do was laugh because I was (and still am) a little immature (but aren't we all?). It was hilarious, but definitely embarrassing.
On that note, I will end my post here. I will try and update more frequently now that my semester is coming to a close and I will have more free time. I look forward to writing more and keeping you all updated on my adventures in South Korea! Be on the lookout!
Lots of love to you all,
Hillary
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