I have been dreaming about teaching since the third grade. I am now almost 28 years old and my dreams are about to come true. As I approach my final semester of college, the butterflies are beginning to set in. I will finally be a student teacher, and the excitement and nervousness of it all is beginning to give me an ulcer.
I have 160 hours of observation hours logged, and I have taught many lessons in local classrooms as well, but teaching kindergarten really scares me. Pre-K and kindergarten are the two grade levels that I never had the urge to teach. Will I be able to bring my ideas down a few notches, and will I be able to think on the level of a kindergartener in order to plan my lessons to be developmentally appropriate for this age group?
It scares me to think that working with kindergarteners is like working with a blank canvas. It will be my responsibility as a kindergarten teacher to provide these children with the foundation in which they will need to be successful in future grade levels. I want to do right by these students, and although I am nervous I am also very excited to be able to get a real sense of what I will be doing for the rest of my working life.
