a post about prac

Well. For those who don't know I've been on prac for two weeks now. I'm at a school in the same suburb I work with 5/6's, which has prooved to be incredibly interesting. If you know me, I'm more of a lower primary person.

Now this prac is different to most others. The first thing you will notice is I'm doing it incredibly late. The second is you wont see me doing as much outside work for it. The third is I'm doing it with a friend of mine. The fourth, I seem to be only teaching maths and science!

And am I enjoying it? No!

In fact, when the lecturer came out to see us the other day, I yelled at him!

Why don't I like this prac? Well, it's not because I have 5/6. It's moreso the point that next year I will be entering the fourth year of my course. I really need to learn how to be independant, and I can't be, because us student teachers are 'relying' on each other. It's difficult to teach in this way, because we are both two completely different teaching styles.

What's worse, is the kids pick and choose which one they like better. Because I'm not as cool and don't seem to relate as much, I'm not the favorite. But alas I am not there to be their friend, I am there to teach them!

I know that sounds harsh, and I know that the girl I told I didn't care about what she was doing on the weekend would agree (thanks for the 'strategy' Turtle ;)). I've discovered it's really about balance. I'm not there to make their happy lives miserable, but there needs to be a point that 'friendship' is not interrupting class time.

The issue also with working with pairs is, it doesn't matter how much you try to avoid it, someone always ends up doing more work. And unforunately, it seems I havent done a lot. I'm thankful that this prac hasn't ruined my friendship with the person I'm working with.

All in all, the prac is a good idea. You create a unit of work, you teach it. You become more familiar with the science side of things (an ever important topic in schools). Just not at this stage, in third year. I feel like I have taken a step backwards.

Given the circumstances, this could have been a good prac if it was 'normal'.

So to my friends up at La Trobe: What were you thinking?

Dear anonymous

I don't know who you are
For all I know, because of my silly memory, perhaps you're not real.
But if you are, and you read my blog, and you know what this is about..
It really confuses as to why you're so generous.. but thanks. God Bless You :)

(If this makes absolutely no sense to you, then don't worry, it has nothing to do with you probably :P)

little bit o love

This is the way you left me

I'm not pretending
No hope, no love, no glory
No happy ending
This is the way that we love
like it's forever
then live the rest of our life
but not together

Mika - "Happy Ending"

There is a real danger in secular (and sometimes, not-so-secular) music. I believe that people underestimate the power that music can have in ones life. I believe that many christians don't have an understanding that it can open up doors for the enemy to come and rob you of the abundance of life God has planned for you!

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 peter 5:8)

Although I know this all too very well, somehow this song kinda represented how I was feeling (don't start assuming because you're probably way off - hence the 'somehow'). The problem with this kind of music is that while it does some how express how you feel, dwelling on this song, singing it, does not help the situation. In fact, it magnifies how bad I'm feeling, rather than magnifying an awesome powerful creator who is above every situation and circumstance no matter what I'm feeling! Because I KNOW that whatever I go through, God is still awesome and alive and real, and no less worthy of my praise!

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. (1 Thess. 5)

So here I am, feeling utterly like rubbish singing this song in my car, by the lake, and it gets to the emotional keychange and it suddenly starts pouring down with rain. At this stage I am fully crying about this whole horrible situation, the heavy rain pitter pattering and the 'intense' part of the song makes it all oh so much more real.

Suddenly, I see the rain ease, and out from my car, I see this:

12 And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; (Genesis 9)

A rainbow!!! You know what that symbolises, right? That God will keep His promises! A timely reminder that God won't leave me stuck in this situation! That my God is a God of power! Sometimes I can't see the result, but He's the Alpha and Omega!

So then, after that, I turned the song into a parody of God and How great He is!

Maybe one day I'll blog about music properly. Maybe...
And maybe, maybe one day, I will blog a parody :P