Student teaching (at least for TFA folks):
"Here's your unit. Make a lesson plan for each objective, then teach one a day. If you want to get fancy, you can combine or cut a couple here and there."
Lead (ie normal) teaching:
"Here are your 150 kids. Teach 'em good."
Schoolteachers have far more flexibility and responsibility than I anticipated. Do you use the textbook? Create your own materials? How should units be divided and arranged? Strategies that worked with 30 students are often impossible when scaled up to 150, across 2 or more subjects.
That said, things are moving along. My kids are bright and wonderful (even the high-energy ones), and the Aptos staff and faculty is great, too. I think this is going to be a good year.
