GO TROJANS!

My job is working at Rigby High School as the debate/speech teacher and debate coach for the debate team. Which, by the way, only has one person on it so far. I need to recruit students from my current debate classes. OK, so that leads me to what I've been doing the last week. I absolutely LOVE teaching, it is my passion -- but it has seriously been one of the hardest things I have ever done. I love stretching myself and learning new things. If any of you have ever learned about debate or what its about, you will know what I am talking about. I actually really, really like teaching high school. I was extremely nervous, but they are pretty awesome to work with. No getting out of their seats a million times like in sixth grade, and they do their work for the most part. It's just that I have to learn so many terms and procedures for debate that it has kind of stressed me out. But I feel that I will get through it, I think I'm tough (I guess...) and I want to succeed and learn all I can.

Speech is another thing entirely. It is easy and fun. My one speech class this trimester is really quiet, so I've had them do all these group activities to get them to talk to each other and feel comfortable. I had them do this activity where I split the class in half and gave them each a small tarp to stand on. The ground was "lava" and they couldn't touch the ground, but the goal was to switch the side of the tarp they were standing on. It took them about 20 minutes to do, but it was the funniest thing I've ever seen. I think that really helped them out to loosen up and feel comfortable talking in class. :) All in all, I love my job, I just have felt stress and pressure to be the best I can be! I'.ll keep you updated on funny stories, experiences, and thoughts as I go through this process of mastering a subject I've never learned about. Wish me luck....