We are officially into October and things are starting to feel serious for me! I am finding myself constantly thinking about what is due when and what I need to do first and it seems things just keep popping up. However, I feel that I am pouring so much of my heart and soul into these assignments and every time I turn something in, it feels like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. This semester has challenged me in new ways and I feel like all of the assignments we are doing are long-term and require so much more thought and effort then they ever have before. I like this though because I feel much more accomplished this semester than I ever have. It is going to be so fulfilling to achieve all of my goals this semester and to see my effort pay off once all of these projects are complete and submitted. The stress is worth it guys, I promise we are growing as educators. Think about how far we have already come since the beginning of this semester!


This week I am thankful that we don't have that much due so we have some time to spend on our units. I feel pretty confident about my performance task and now I am breaking that down to develop my learning activities. I can see this unit literally coming together and each part fitting like a puzzle. Now, each part makes sense to me and I can see the purpose that each part plays in the whole picture which is a good feeling. My biggest thing right now is figuring out how to make sure I cover each standard that I want to from the NCSCOS in my unit. I am focusing on the NCPTS: "Teachers Know the Content They Teach," this week. I am spending time exploring the content in my unit and making sure I have a solid understanding so that I could teach the content in-depth. Upon focusing on this standard, I have come to realize how important it is that I be an expert on the content that I teach. In order to help students make connections within the content areas and to be able to help them make connections to their lives, I have to have a deep understanding of the content. So, I am definitely working on my content knowledge because I want to be the best educator I can be. This will be a continuous process through out my career and I feel like my content knowledge will continue to grow over the years.

I hope everyone has a stress free week and if you start to feel overwhelmed just remember how close we are to the end goal! We are so fortunate to be able to pursue our passion and I feel lucky to pursue mine with all of you! Have a great week!