Three — that’s how many days until the week long spring break begins for those N.C. State students who are in the Wake County Public Schools as student teachers. And spring break could not come at a better time. As the calendar moves into the month of April, the stress of a student teacher will begin to increase immensely as my mind and focus are being pulled in multiple directions.

The first direction is still on teaching my last lessons. Although I have seven days left in front of the classroom, these days encompass the most challenging lessons I have to teach — I have had to design, plan and create lessons on my own, with little help from my cooperating teacher.

Having to plan for an entire unit, even a seven-day unit, has taken about two to three weeks to prepare. Instructional materials must be bought, made, gathered and found to provide students with the best opportunities to comprehend and learn the presented information. With this unit on biotechnology, the state of North Carolina’s curriculum provides very little on the topic. Thus, I have had to create much instructional material on my own.

Another worry is the portfolio that all student teachers must submit in order to obtain their teaching licenses upon graduation. This portfolio is not a document that you can simply put together at the last minute; it must be completed over weeks, not days. Located within the portfolio, the evidence I supply shows that I am competent to become a teacher — this evidence can contain anything from examples of student work, lesson plans, unit plans and handouts I have created to anything I have done that can support why I should acquire a teaching license.

These are only a couple directions I’m being pulled. However, there are others. These include student discipline, conferences, getting ready for graduation, thinking about where I’ll be next year and what I’ll be doing. I sometimes feel as if my mind is about to overload and explode with all that’s on it.

And so, spring break is needed and welcomed with open arms. April will be a month in which much work must be done, and next week’s spring break will provide student teachers the chance to recharge their depleted batteries. To be effective in this last month of student teaching, those batteries need to be full of energy.