Welcome To The Class

My first day at Franklin High School* was one I had been looking forward to for the past four years of my college career. Although I was introduced to the high school three semesters ago when I began my co-op position, I knew this semester would be different. This was the beginning of the real responsibility, the real opportunity to make a difference.
Throughout my practicum placement, I got to work with eighth graders, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. As a capstone to my education of education, it only seemed to appropriate to gain some experience with those that I feared the most: the big, bad seniors.
Prior to my first day, I assumed them to be arrogant, obnoxious, and suffering from early forms of senioritis. But in a matter of 90 minutes, they were able to effortlessly change my mind. The 29 students in first hour have already solidified my decision to be a teacher and also made me more excited for the upcoming year.
To start the period off my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Jordan*, introduced herself to the class. It was apparent she had already established a level of rapport with multiple students. She immediately introduced me and gave me the opportunity to tell the class a little bit about me. Although I think it's important to let students know about me as a person as well as a teacher, I also think there is a limit of what is appropriate to share, especially right off the bat. The two fun facts I chose to share were that I am engaged and that I have the two coolest dogs that have ever existed. They seemed content with that, so we moved on. The next task was getting the students to get to know each other better. She students work in their tables. It was their job to interview and introduce someone at their table. They answered questions such as "Who was your last English teacher?" and "What are some goals you have?" These questions were simple to answer, but allowed the entire class, Mrs. Jordan, and myself to get to know everyone on a deeper level.
She finished the class by briefly going over the syllabus and expectations for the year. In my opinion, she did an awesome job. In many cases, the teachers end up belittling the students by covering minute details. But it was apparent that she understood her students and their needs. As seniors, she expected them to understand basic rules such has respect and honesty in the classroom. While this approach may be extremely inappropriate for a class full of antsy freshmen, her ability to cater everything to her specific grade level was something I had not seen before and something I want to do in my own classroom.
After class was dismissed, my CT spent extra time going over the plans for the upcoming class so that I would be in the loop. Her mentoring thus far  has already been extremely helpful. I know that in the upcoming months her 13 years of expertise will definitely come in hand in crafting my lessons and learning about what it means to be a teacher in general.
Although it is only the first week of school, the excitement for the upcoming class periods has yet to subside. I hope that this fervor continues on as I encounter all of the trials and tribulations of being a student teacher.