Initiative….Desire

Yesterday, was just one of those days. As a teacher you want to help your students any way you can to succeed. Sometimes it is so hard because the desire to do well is greater in you as the teacher than it is in the student. I have a student who struggles in Math, in fact, he is not passing right now. He missed math class the day before which sets him back even more. Yesterday, he brought me his homework. It was not completed, about 5 problems were not even attempted. He responded by telling me he did not understand how to do them. I then proceeded to tell him I would help him. I had him get his book and scoot a chair up to my desk so we could work on it together. He then rolled his eyes at me and said "You mean I have to do this again?" I responded by telling him you didn't do it all the first time, so yes we are going to do it." 
As a teacher it is so frustrating to be willing to bend over backwards to help a child and then he doesn't even have the desire or diligence to want to do it himself. But yet, he will come to me at the end of the quarter and want to know what he can do to bring his grade up. My response will be….."You could have accepted help when it was offered earlier in the quarter."
It is hard to watch a child self-destruct when you know what is going to happen, but you can only help if the student is willing to accept your help. 

Some days are just blah. I came to school today with energy, I thought. I managed to get myself up and ride my bike 4 miles this morning. Always a good way to start your day. The weather is cloudy and dreary which doesn't do much for the mood. I have 1st period off, but today I was taking care of a co-worker's class. The students are pretty self sufficient, so there was not much work entailed for me. When I had my class second period, I just was not to motivated to teach. As teachers, we have those kind of days, too. Sometimes I feel like it is necessary for we as teachers to always be "on". Some days it is hard to do. Today is just one of those days for me.

Life Often Throws You Curves

There are times in the life of a teacher that your world outside of school gets in the way and demands more of your time. If you teach long enough, you will have trials that happen that demand your time and can make teaching difficult.  Through these trials you may get to see a different side of your students, one that can be such a blessing to you. 
I have experienced such a situation this year in my class. My dad had surgery in May and never fully recovered from it. I spent most of my summer at his place (which is in another state) helping him try to recuperate from his surgery. As time went on, he did not get better, but I had to come back and go to work. By September, it was evident that he was not going to get out of rehab and possibly not survive. All the emotions that go with dealing with an illness in a family, I was experiencing while trying to teach my jr high students. By the end of September, it was evident my dad was not going to survive. My brother and I had to make some very difficult decisions and my dad's life came to an end on September 30th. My students were there when I got the call from my brother. The compassion I experienced from my 6th graders was just amazing! Here is a note that one of my students gave me. 

My students have been amazing during this difficult time in my life. Their compassion has been such a blessing. Many of the students, along with their parents have told me that they are praying for me and my family. I had to miss a week of school to attend the funeral and take care of many issues that go along with a death. I also had wonderful co-workers that filled in and taught my classes while I was gone so I would not get docked time. 
I have learned to not be afraid to show my emotions with my class, to let them know I am a real person with feelings. I have been so blessed with the students I have this year and co-workers.  God has definitely given me what I needed this year! 

Why I Love to Teach!

Yesterday at school, I was in the middle of teaching my 6th grade Math class when during independent work time one of my students came up and asked, "Can I go tell my mom something?" (His mom was volunteering at school that day just down the hall from our classroom.) I asked the student, "Is this an emergency and can it wait?" He replied, 
"Kind of,  I just really need to tell her something." I then agreed to let him go. 
When he came back he stopped in front of me and said, "Do you remember the toothpaste I had on my Science elements project? Well, it is in my backpack and has gotten all over everything in there." I paused for a moment and then asked, "Why did you have the toothpaste in your back pack? That was over a week ago since the project was due." He just shrugged his shoulders. I then asked, "What do you mean it is all over everything?" 
He sheepishly replied, "All over my math homework, my books, and pens and pencils." 
Knowing his mom, I knew she was probably laughing hysterically at this fiasco! I then asked him, "What did your mom do when you told her?" He pointed to the classroom door and said, "She is laughing."
Of course, we then had to stop and enjoy the laugh ourselves! As he is unloading his back pack and the whole class is helping him clean up his supplies and books, his mother comments, "At least everything will be minty fresh!" 
There are times it is just not worth getting upset over certain things. He was so worried that he had ruined his books and his work. Once we cleaned everything up, it was not so bad. Everything was okay, we got to have a good laugh, and this young man even earned a new nickname.......Captain Flouride!
Just another day in the life of a 6th grade teacher!

Apple TV and the Classroom

After the third week of school, I feel settled in what I am teaching. Once again, I have a few different assignments this year. I am teaching Science to the 6th graders and helping teach PE to all the Jr. High students.  I am excited having Science again even though it is not my favorite subject.  We gave already completed a couple of experiments which the students thoroughly enjoyed! We did the chemical reaction experiment with the vinegar and baking soda and we did a  Compound or Mixture experiment with Koolaid. 
My sixth graders are one of those classes that you love! These students have an eagerness to learn and want to do well. I call them my 1950s class. Only about three have cell phones and they are so sweet and considerate of everyone. Kudos to the parents for doing such a good job with them!
The parents have been SO supportive already. When working at a small private school, you don't always have access to the latest technology or any of the other latest resources to teach with. My parents came to me and asked for a wish list. I have a hard time with this because I know that these parents already dig in their pockets to send their kids here, and to ask for them to do more is difficult. They wanted a wish list and I gave it to them. They purchased for me a flat screen HDMI TV and an Apple TV! I was so excited! I have only had it a couple of days, but I am so looking forward to using this in every capacity! If you use one and have some great ideas for the classroom, please share! I would love to hear what others are doing with their Apple TV.

Where Did The Summer Go?

     Wow! It is already August! Where did my summer go? I had all these plans of what I was planning to do this summer, and somehow they did not get done. It is funny how you plan out what you are going to do and somehow God has a total different plan for you. 
     School is getting ready to start for me. Being at a private school, we usually start before everyone else. Now it seems bad, but come May and June we will be out before everyone else. I just have to keep reminding myself of this. 
     As usual, my job description has changed a little again. I am getting back 6th grade Science and will be assisting with Jr. High PE classes. Life is never dull at a private school! What helps is the great group of people that I get to teach along side. We have moved back into our old building and are so happy to be back! 
    Every year I make plans to implement something new whether it be supplements to curriculum or some new technology idea that I have found. This year I plan to use Class Dojo and Edmodo. I have been looking at both of these programs for a while now and am anxious to see how they work. 
   As I start a new school year, I remind myself how much I love teaching. Everyone gets a fresh start each year, even the teacher!

Reflections of the School Year

This past school year has been an interesting one. Not only was I in a different school building, but we actually merged with another school. It was quite a difficult endeavor. Combining two schools in itself is difficult, but when one school is not told the everything that is going to happen, it makes it really difficult. For the most part, all the teachers worked together. Parents, on the other hand, had more of a difficult time. There was the trust factor on both sides. When you don't know someone you tend to hold back and wait and see if you can trust them. 
Part two of our transition was that I would be teaching Jr. High 6,7,8 grade students and I would only be teaching Math and Bible. I was used to teaching every subject to one class. This was a big switch for me. I also remember saying to myself that I could never teach Jr. High! (Things you say do come back and bite you!) 
All in all, it was a good but trying experience. I learned several things from this school year. One, I had to step out of my comfort zone and grow and was actually excited about what I accomplished. Two, I learned to defend my beliefs and actions on why I do the things I do in my class. Three, I learned to listen more than I talk. Many times, parents just want someone to listen to them.
One last thing I learned, there are some parents that you will never be able to please and they are not going to like what you do especially if it affects their child or their grades. 
As long as I know when I put my head down at night that I have done everything I can to help my students learn and that I have done what is right in the eyes of God, then I have done my job. 
Just remember, not everyone is going to like you, and that is okay Just don't take it personal.