Even though I have been with these students for almost nine weeks, some of them acted like I was someone completely new since they have never experienced me for an extended period of time without my CT in the classroom.
I have to admit, it was a strange feeling to know that if I failed at the activity or lesson there is no other backup besides my own creativity and quick thinking. However, I feel like that since I knew that I would be on my own without a "safety net" I over-prepared so I didn't have that terrible feeling of running out of lesson with twenty minutes left.
The students were great. Obviously they were thrown for a loop as well knowing that I was still learning how to teach, but they acted very respectful and some were helpful to hand things out or pick things up.
Surprisingly the day flew by. All in all, it was a good day. It was my first taste of how I want to run my classroom without any fear or nervousness of what my CT would say. So now that I have at least one day under my belt I feel much more at ease when I will have my own classroom.
That's awesome you had the opportunity to be on your own! My CT has been gone a couple times and while the students are always good for me, I do think they try to press the boundaries with me a lot more than they do with my CT. It's made me think a lot about my classroom management, and it's something I'm going to focus on when I return after spring break. It's fun being on your own though, knowing that if you mess up, no one is watching you!
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