anyways, i'm sitting in the "starbucks" on campus at Ball State and i can't believe how weird it feels to be back on campus. if just sitting on campus feels weird, i can't imagine how this semester is going to feel. i'm definitely ready to come back though. however, i'm not too keen on sitting in classes everyday - but i guess i'll just have to deal with it.
so, i guess i'll be reflective on the semester...and the first thing that comes to mind is WOW! this was no where near what i thought this experience would be like. i drove home on friday after saying goodbye to some of the best friends i've ever had and i just cried. it's ridiculous. when i went into the program i was told that i would make friends, and that they would be some of my best friends - but i never expected this. it's only monday and i miss them all already. it's ridiculous. half of them are student teaching next semester, which means that we won't even be on campus together....but no worries! we will make time to see each other! i also can't elieve how much i learned this semester. while i may have been stressed out, frustrated, upset, etc., looking back i can see just how much i learned and just how much it is going to benefit me in the future. i have been doing so much reflecting with my portfolio that this may start to sound ridiculous, but it's true. i kept hearing what a great experience this was going to be, but i never imagined how much this experience was going to shape the way i thought about teaching and learning. i think that it should be a requirement for every student to participate in a program such as this. luckily, many professors feel the same way and hopefully the education program will make some changes to allow for this to take place. guess we'll just have to wait and see...
alright, well i should probably get going. i have a meeting at 10.
but, hopefully i'll be back to blog soon....
love you all!
caitlin
