The Road lies both ahead and behind

It is a great thing when everything just seems to get easier. As I went into these last weeks and full time teaching I was concerned that I would be overwhelmed by the extra. instead I found it quite the contrary. I think that having more of a rhythm to when I was teaching helped me to get faster and better about my planning which boosted my confidence, and ultimately made me a better teacher. I still have to work on classroom management and my piano playing as well as pacing but everything is getting easier the more I do it. I have gotten to my favorite part of teaching music, the part where I get to add in musicality instead of simply teaching notes. This helps with my attitude and the students' because we all love the way it sounds when the piece actually starts coming together. I can now easily pull warm ups out of thin air instead of planning them as well if I need to and I am learning to be more independent with my decisions. I was hesitant early on to do anything without permission because I still felt more like a student. Now I see that I can be more productive if I simply plan and ask questions only if I don't know how to do something. That way, even if I fail, it was my own plan that is being judged and not one I had help with. I can't wait to head off to my next placement where I have learned I will have more independence and a very new environment. I am also scared to death about my second placement however and I am still trying to wrap my head around what I will be getting myself into. Is this the same for anyone else?

This song is to wish all of you a great second placement through all the challenges and uncertainty.