I’m doing a huge shoutout to justagirl24, who has finished her student internship.

I don’t know her, and I’ve tried posting a few (long) comments on her blog — only to have them disappear into the internet ether. But I’ve been following her journey as a student teacher for the past four months. I think her blog, from August 2009 to December 2009, should be suggested reading for beginning student teachers everywhere. I remember having a lot of the same thoughts that she did when I did my teaching practicum at a public high school in Cambridge, MA.

I’ve linked to her blog a couple times on Twitter, but I don’t know if anyone clicked. So to induce you to read, let me whet your appetite by spoiling the narrative a bit. I’m going to show you the beginning and the end of this story.

September 7, 2009:

I’ve come to realize that this is all a chore to me. I don’t want to drive in the morning to school. I hate it. I can’t quit. I wish there was a way to make it better. Sure I can work with other people to come up with solutions, but you know what it’s all up to me to enforce those solutions. And it usually ends in failure for me and my students… That’s what sucks about this, I hate being alone. No one can be there to defend me. I’m the one who needs to stand up and do it. Can I go in and say “I’m still learning, guys and girls.. I’m new at this.. give me a chance to experiment with you”… maybe I can say that.. but I dunno.. right now I have so many things floating in my mind. All I can think about is school and this whole experience. Nothing else.. I need something in my life to make me happy and right now I’ve got nothing. Nothing to keep me distracted.. Nothing to keep my mind from thinking about this “chore”.

December 17, 2009

So it’s the last week.. it’s bittersweet.. I’m sad to go but happy to be done. I’m definitely going to miss these kids. I wanted pictures of all of them, so I have a group shot of every class. For my math10 class, I was handing some last minute stuff back.. and was kind of giving a mini speech.. about how I really enjoyed this internship.. I was starting to choke up.. so I stopped talking.. lol.. It’s bizarre to think that 3 months ago I would make it to the finish line.. But I have.. I survived and endured.. Surely not without any struggles.. This is surely one of the best experiences in my life thus far. I just can’t believe I was considering quitting in the beginning. I think it’s a phase that everyone goes through when they’re thrown into a different and new environment.

This was four months. That blows me away. Four long, hard, rewarding, frustrating, emotional months. So congrats, justagirl24. If you happen to see this… thanks for sharing your thoughts with me. I’ve been there, silently rooting you on. Not in a creepy “he’s stalking me” way. In a “you can do it!” way. And you did.

Now don’t forget to return your classroom key.