Analyize This!

I am sure at this point in the semester we are all dreaming about lesson plans, grading, parent-teacher conferences, etc, and I am no exception.

A couple of weeks ago (during role reversal) I had a reoccurring dream about the students and the parents of the students in my mentor teacher’s classroom. In the dream I am in my mentor teacher’s classroom and the sutdents’ parents are coming in for parent-teacher conferences angry that their children are not learning this year. They bring the children up to me and say, “Look in his head! There is nothing in there! What are they learning this year?” They take the child and tilt his head to the side and invite me to look into his ear to see the space where the brain should be. I bend down and look to see that there is nothing inside. I mean it is completely empty, and there is an immense black space where the brain should be!

I begin to apologize profusely, and attempt to explain to the parents that I am pouring the knowledge, literally pouring the knowledge into their heads daily, but it is unfortunately, coming out of the other side (through ther ear). The parents then give me a pitcher of knowledge and angrily instruct me to fill up their child’s head. I begin to pour, all the while apologizing profusely, only to get the same result, the knowledge leaks through the child’s ear onto the parent’s shoe. The parent gets angrier, and then, thankfully, I wake up.

Needless to say this caused tremendous anxiety during role reversal. I have ended that particular placement and have moved on to my ESOL placement. Ironically the dreams have ceased, but the memory, while humors, is still a little unnerving. So Pangea, my charge to you is to ANALYZE THIS!!