Student Teaching - Week #11

by Amanda Mast - Curie Metro High School

Skyline from 95th floor of the Hancock Building

Testing is done! It’s crazy how the dynamic of my classes have changed now that everyone is back together again. It’s also nice to have all of my classes in almost the same place again. As a student, I would have never assumed that testing would be such a burden to a teacher, but I have never had to make so many separate plans!

This week I am also finishing up my first full unit! It seemed to take forever, but I had so much fun doing it. We are finishing by creating a “Fakebook,” a Facebook profile for one of the heroes we read over this unit. This changes up the traditional “finish with a paper that tells me what you learned.” After showing them the assignment and showing them my example—Marlin from Finding Nemo, it’s pretty funny, so you should look it up—they seem excited for the change. Maybe they are just excited for Spring Break. Either way they are full of energy and excitement, and that makes going to work that much easier.

Last Friday the Chicago Semester Fall 2015 student teachers came to visit Curie, and we all went out to eat in Pilsen. It was so great to take them around and show them all of the things I have loved about the city: my school, my apartment, Pilsen, and the food! It feels great to show off this wonderful adventure I have been having the past few months! Thank you guys for a great time, and I hope your experiences are as fulfilling as mine has been!

Dinner at Alhambra with roommates
Emily, Hannah, Lindsay & Lauren

This weekend a few of my roommates and I decided to treat ourselves! Friday night, we got all dressed up and went out for National Paella day! We went to Alhambra Palace, a restaurant that mimics the look of the actual Alhambra Palace in southern Spain. Did we pay too much for food? Yes. Was it delicious? Yes! It was worth it! We enjoyed two traditional Spanish appetizers and three main dishes, paella included! The building was so beautiful, colorful, and large! It was an experience we will never forget!

Paella

After that, we travelled to the loop to get a gorgeous view of the city in The Signature Lounge. This lounge was on the 95^th floor of the John Hancock building. We may have received special treatment when we arrived, for we were taken to a table right up to window. My chair was literally touching the window overlooking miles of Chicago streets. My roommates and I sat in silence, taking in everything. We were to the point of crying, seeing so many places we have been and seeing how large, yet small, the city is. It was the best place to reflect on all of our experiences and memories we have had. Time is going too fast, and we haven’t gotten the chance to just sit and reflect to ourselves.

The city is so large, but when we were looking out the window, you could see of the little communities that have been formed. There is so much more than tall buildings and bustling. We live in our own little community, and I think that is even more beautiful than the lights and tall buildings.

Me and the skyline