Morning Pages 4.7.16

Recently I have been teaching quite a few mini lessons in the classroom I've been placed in at Lesher Middle School, and have not only learned a lot from the students, but also from the process of planning and executing a lesson. The first time I taught a full class, I realized that I hadn't planned on certain amounts of down-time. For example, that 5 seconds while you're writing on the board? Yeah, you can loose students' attention within the first 3. Luckily, the class I was teaching was very respectful, quiet, and attentive - but I can only imagine what would have happened in a more rowdy group. Without actually experiencing what it feels like to get up and teach, the realization that you are going to have to plan through those few seconds of down-time and count them as important may slip by unnoticed. Personal expereinces in the classroom are beyond valuable.