Monday, October 26, 2009

Dedication vs. Insanity!!

The other morning/night really, (3:00 a.m.) I awakened with a start. Where had this particular girl in my class been? She had been absent for the last four days and I was starting to worry and wonder what was going on. I know her home life. She has shared with me with me some of the not so great things that go on at home. My aunt was arrested last night for being drunk and spanking her daughter was one of her current tidbits. So, there I lay, 3:00 a.m. and I am making a mental note to call as soon as I get to school and find out what is going on. As I was racing to school the next morning I was pondering what other job there is that seems to be twenty-four seven. Teachers are never off. They cart things home after school, they do lesson plans for hours if they are going to be gone, they buy things at stores on the weekends for that great science lesson that needs supplies the school does not provide, they browse the internet for any other creative teacher who had an insight they want to share (this insight probably took place on their own hours after they left school), they talk about it at lunch, they dream about it at night, really teaching is a job that requires mental and physical abilities that force a teacher to head for the nearest couch on Friday and never want to leave it all weekend!! Instead on weekends when we need the rest, we are driving to the local teacher supply store for more ways to spruce up a social studies lesson. Being a dedicated teacher means that the mind never stops and the concern never ends. The other day I couldn't put my mind at ease when a shy little boy let me know it was his birthday and he wasn't having a birthday party, had never had a birthday party and didn't know if he was even going to have a cake when he got home. There I was at lunch looking for cupcakes and candles at the local grocery store. An eight year old deserves fan fare for the day they are born I was muttering to myself. Insanity, yes! Running at a speed most cheetahs would challenge, yes! Teachers are a rare breed of individuals. So, when I wake up in the middle of the night with a thought or concern, I know I am in the right profession. I am a teacher. If that means I am insane, them I am proud to be labled that and move on.

Monday, October 19, 2009

The Testing Blitz

Famous words in the public school system these days is,"class, make sure you bubble in the right answer." Today I spent two hours of instructional time making sure my students knew how to bubble in the right bubble on their answer sheet. I couldn't help but thinking as I am doing a demonstration on the accurate way to bubble, that I could be starting my unit on the Native American Indian, but not today. We will bubble in. The test took almost an hour and a half. Then we had to transfer the answers to a bubble sheet. Waste, waste, waste. I looked in my student's faces as they seriously considered their task at hand. They worked so hard to get the right answer. They worked so hard to find the right bubble. It touched my heart to see how much they wanted to please. Tomorrow we will spend another two hours taking another test and bubbling another answer sheet. I will not have time to start my Native American unit again. We test. We theme test. We district test. We computer test. We state test. My students ask the question each time I pass out the test, "which one is this again?" Don't get me wrong, teachers need to know what their student's know. But, a good already teacher knows. They know each time they ask a question that probes their student's minds and the light goes on and the wheels start to turn, and the excitement shines on their faces as they raise their hand to answer. They know each time a student gets a math problem right on their daily work and they raise their fist and whisper "yes" silently to themselves. They know when they hear their student's talking in a group project and discussing whether the girl on the "Island of the Blue Dolphin" did the right thing going back to help her brother, which meant she was left on the island all by herself." A good teacher does not need a test written by someone else to tell them what they already have figured out. But, the system is in motion and our public school children are learning to bubble in. So, we administer, and we set aside those exciting lessons for another day. The sad thing is, in two more months we will start all over with the bubbling in, and watching our students labor to find the right answer on the answer sheet. Thank goodness our students can move on and past all the test blitz to find the real education in between. Thank goodness a good teacher can too.

Monday, October 12, 2009

October Blues

There isn't a longer month than October!! In September a teacher has Labor Day to look forward to. We start the year off, just get everything in gear, and then "bam", a Monday to take off and recuperate. It is amazing how much a three day weekend can rejuvinate and recapture the energy level needed to be a teacher. I find myself after a three day weekend, saying "wow" and really meaning it at the appropriate times. Then comes October!! Nothing to jump start the soul. It is one long month of eternity. It has thirty-one days and keeps on going, with only the nightmare holiday (literally!) Halloween to keep winding up the little darlings, and have them floating at a high level until after Thanksgiving. October has no days off. We used to celebrate Columbus Day, but now that is a thing of the past. I loved singing those "Sailing The Ocean Blue," songs, but now without the holiday, good old Columbus has sailed himself into no holiday history. So now, November seems afar way off in the middle of October. The talk of costumes, carnivals, parties, and trick-or-treating goes on forever. Then just when I think I can't make it any longer, November crawls around the corner with only thirty days and a week off for the turkey and stuffing. If a teacher makes it to November, we know we are able to at least last until December, where we get a nice long break. Then comes January and the beloved short month of February, with wonderful presidents to honor. Of course, that means we can make it to March, because spring break is right after and we might as well hang around for the short month of April, and wind down with May and time off in June. Yes, October is a long month, but before we know it, it will be June and the year will start all over again. Then we will just have another October to get through!! The beat goes on.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Saved By The Bell

A teacher's life is ruled by bells. There are days that I feel like a mouse in a maze where the gate has been lifted and the bell has rung. The poor little mouse races furiously to the finish line where a big hunk of cheese is waiting. The amazing thing about the mouse is that the bell is what sets it off. It is conditioned by the sound and the vibration that sends a message "make the finish line or else." A teacher feels pretty much the same way. A warning bell sounds in the morning for the students to get ready to line up. A second bell announces school has begun and all should be in order. Then it is another bell before potty breaks are allowed. We file out, and race before the next bell announces the break is complete. There are bells for fire drills. These bells tell us to march like soldiers without a sound and listen for the bell that lets us know we can resume normal activity. A bell says "lunch is over". Another bell rings for a second potty break. \Second race for the two stall bathroom with a staff of over thirty teachers. Sometimes a bell will prepare us for a disaster drill and we crouch under our desks and pray it will never be the real thing. The last bell of the day is the beloved "school is over" bell and we all heave a sigh of relief until the next day when all the bells and programming starts again. One can be confused and puzzled if the bell is late, or early. We don't know what to do? We are so conditioned to start in motion at certain times of the day, we feel like we are cheating if the bell is not doing its thing at the appropriate moment. There are blank looks and zombie movements down the pavement anyway, just because we know the drill and we are conditioned by the bell. On the weekends freedom from bells is a priority. I hate a schedule, I hate having to do something in any two hour chunk of time. I want to go to the bathroom whenever I feel like it, and eat lunch whenever I feel like it. By Monday, I have to retrain my bladder and my hunger, because the bell hasn't rung and I have to wait until the finish line. Just like the mouse, I can reach the cheese. Each day I know I make it. As the students file out, there is a certain satisfaction about planning a lesson in one hour and thirty-five minutes and knowing deep down your students grasped the concept just before the bell rang!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Interruptions

Let's discuss the amount of interruptions a teacher experiences in one teaching day. I have been contemplating this for awhile. A teacher has to be really brilliant to even remember where they were. One day within one half hour I received these interruptions. The phone rang and I was asked if I could send up a particular boy to the office. I listened for the name going through my head and registering who it was. It didn't sound familiar but then (I had only been in school for a couple of weeks and still trying to keep names and faces straight). I got off the phone and looked at my students. They all stared back at me, and I realized I do not have that boy in my classroom. I called the office and reassured them they must have the wrong room. I do not have a so and so. The office person (new to our school) proceeded to argue with me that I had to have that person, and they were needed in the office because their parent was waiting for them. After a few more minutes of "I guarantee you I do not have that student) I could hear on the other line, a pause, and then an "oh" "you are not so and so." No, I said, "I am not". I turned around and tried to return to my science lesson, when the door opened up and in walked two students wanting me to sign a card for a staff member. "Gladly," I replied, and signed away. I was going to get to that science lesson if it killed me. Then as I was about to give it my best, a voice came over the loud speaker. "Pardon, me," it began, "pardon the interruption," (by all means we can handle a few interruptions with ease, I thought to myself. An announcement for kindergarten through second grade teachers came through to take their students to the playground for firedrill instruction. I just so happen to teach third grade, but no bother, we all listened patiently. Just as I was finally going to get back to where I was, two students walked in with a stack of papers that had to be delivered because they needed to go out this afternoon, and would I please sign this roster for them, proof that I had indeed received the important papers. We all smiled as I signed away and I thanked the eager young men just doing their good deed for the day. "Okay," I started, trying to return to the subject at hand, when one of my students raised their hand and announced they had to take their lunch money to the cafeteria or they wouldn't receive lunch and did I have an envelope because their mom did not have one? "Of course," I reply and I go to the closet where the envelopes are kept. We look up the lunch number they can't remember and write it on the envelope. Now, I smiled, when a bright young girl raised her hand. "Yes?" I question. "Isn't it time for us to go computer lab?" I check my schedule and sure enough it is. I look at my students, "well class," I manage, "when we return from computer lab and recess, "who will be in charge of letting me know where we left off?" All hands shoot up, and they promise to remind me. We line up and march to our next destination. I am a professional and part of being a teacher is being flexible and ready to roll with a day that is interrupted. Yet, as we marched to the computer lab, I couldn't help but wondering if would ever get to the lesson that I stayed after school the day before to plan without any interruptions. I shook my head no, knowing full well a day without interruptions would probably be boring anyway!!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Making a Difference

Sometimes when the alarm goes off in the morning a teacher can feel like what's the point? We don't work for money, because with the hours we put in, we could certainly have picked a more profitable profession. We don't work for a job promotion, because the only promotion we get is being moved from grade to grade (not necessarily by choice!) when we are just feeling comfortable in the grade we are in and have spent a numerous amount of money of our own, and now, we get to reinvent another wheel and spend more money. So, no, a job promotion is not something we get. We certainly don't work for praise, because many times we only hear from parents when they want to complain we have given their child too much homework, or we have given their child not enough homework. Then we hear from them alot. We don't hear thanks for the many extra hours we put in trying to take curriculum that seems a little stale, and try to present it in a creative and effective manner. So, when it comes right down to it, we mainly get up in the morning to try to make a difference in a child's life. We live for it, and we look for it. Somewhere during the crazy, busy, wheel spinning day, we hope we are reaching the unreachable and they will remember how their teacher did their best. I have one of those children this year who is making me earn my money. He is distracted most of the time, and sits glazed, like he is somewhere else. But today, after we had been going over the value of money for the fifteenth time, a light went on. It actually stunned him. His hand shot up before he knew what he was doing. He had a look on his face, "I got it, pick me!" I turned, and our eyes met. "Yes?" He proudly spit out the answer. It was a treasured moment. We both nodded to each other and I gave him a thumbs up. He sat a little taller and worked a little harder the rest of the day. All I can say to him is "thank-you!" When my alarm goes off tomorrow, I will get up and I will put in another day. Because you're worth it!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Oscar Goes To....

In my training to become a teacher I was never informed that I would need acting lessons. I know I need them because there are times I feel a smile is plastered on my face and I am not fooling anyone. Teachers are expected to be somewhat superhuman. We don't have lives and we live at school in a closet that doesn't have a mirror and is really quite small!! Yet, we are expected to awake refreshed and renewed each and every day. Despite the fact our personal life might be falling apart at the moment, we smile when a child shows you for the fourth time the cut they received on their backyard fence and it is now extremely painful and making it impossible to do their work, ( on the playground five minutes ago they managed just fine!!). We smile and say, "oh, I am sorry, now go back to your seat and do the best you can!!"" Smile, smile. We smile when we look at the homework we received that is torn, in shambles and the student tells you the story of the homework that was at the peril of not making it school, but due to their heroic efforts it made it after all. Smile, smile. We smile in the morning when we welcome our students on maybe three hours of sleep, because we are parents too, and we were up with our own children during the night. Yet, we paste the smile on, and listen to "I am going to Disneyland for the next three days and I need homework to be ready by the end of the day to take with me, (this is usually from your lowest student and you are thinking they should be doing six days a week instead of five, but they are now taking the next three off), but you smile and say, "No problem! Have a good time!" You smile during the staff meeting when you feel like if anymore thoughts or effort come from your brain, you might not make it to your car, you instead smile, smile. Maybe that is the way it is supposed to be. We smile, we act, and then by the end of the day, we actually mean it. We do enjoy our jobs, we wouldn't keep coming back if we didn't, so usually the smile is genuine, but when it isn't the Oscar goes to..................

Monday, September 28, 2009

The Computer Age/Versus The Teacher

With the computer age there has been a cry out for less teachers and more computer generated classes. But one can not help but be curious about how that will work? Today I graded a journal that stated, "som wales swim to Australa." The girl who wrote this entry is considered GATE and has the most amazing mind, yet when it comes to spelling she can not seem to transfer any words we have on the test to her journal. "Some" was a spelling word fom last week's spelling list. Another amazingly smart student wrote that "becase the whalle can use its tal, it can migrat to southen California." "Because" was a word from the week before's list. It makes me curious when we use these words in sentences, rainbow spell them, rearrange them on paper, why they don't seem to work their way into the writing process? Spelling is not a sign of intelligence, I know. Einstein was a terrible speller. So, when should it happen? If we worry so much about spelling in the early stages of writing, then the student is fearful of putting anything down, because it might be spelled incorrectly. But, then if it is never accurate, the mind has to be retrained and retrained before it has mastered an incorrect spelling. So, the circle continues. Maybe, when the individual tires of the word being rewritten, they will tire of their familiar spelling and capture the correct spelling. A teacher can only hope the light will come on in their class and "som" will become "some" and "becase" will become "because". Then we will will have to start working on "tale" to become "tail" and "wale" to become "whale". In a way, it is a little dose of job security. If a student misspells, and they need a teacher to find it, (spell check does not always!) then we have a reason to show up each day and students have a reason to need us. Computer classes do not care if a student misspells, they only mark it, and move on. The human teacher will work tirelessly to find the magic moment when all of the words come together. The human teacher will sit and smile at the victory when a journal entry reads, "The gray whale migrates from China to the Southern California coast each year. Then they will write the appropriate remarks and run to the student with a "I knew you could do it!" The human teacher will live for that victorious moment and show up the next day waiting for more magic to happen. Spelling will continue to baffle all of us, but the teacher will always bring the human aspect to education while computers can not.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Good notes, Bad notes

Today I want to talk about notes. A teacher can receive more than ten notes a day. Some are inquiring (when is my child being tested for GATE?), some are demanding, (fill out this form and have it back to me within the next twenty mintues, it is three pages long), some are informative, (my child was up all night throwing up, please watch them and call me if there are any problems), some are critical, (you neglected to give my daughter a drink when she needed one, when the girl never asked for a drink in the first place, the teacher never is given the benefit of the doubt), some are inspiring, (my son really loved being in your class, these are rare and cherished!), but the best note was today from a parent that read somewhat like this and I will not quote to protect the innocent (mainly me!!), so I will paraphrase. Dear___________, I would like you catch up my son today, (today was underlined three times) due to the fact it is very demanding for me to help him with his homework. By the way do you teach anything to him during the day, because I have never had to help him before and he is having such a difficult time, I was just wondering if he learns anything all day? Please help him, he needs lots of it, and it is bothering me to help him so much, (much was underlined three times too!). Now for a little history on this student. He has been in my class for a total of two weeks. He missed the first month of school due to the fact his mother moved and it took her awhile to get him registered in school because she is flaky! (Maybe someone should have sent her a note to remind children need to be in school when it starts). Anyway, I read the note and placed it neatly in a file and comprised a fake one in my head. Dear____________, I am sorry so and so is having such a difficult time doing his homework. It really is my fault. I should have been at your door getting him to school for the first month when we learned the things that all of my other students now know how to do, and seem to be doing just fine! Instead of that note, I sent a very sweet and lovely note asking how we could support her son more and help her with the difficult homework. Maybe he could stay after class I suggested, one time this week and we could go over some of the things he is having problems with. I put the note into an envelope and smiled at the boy when I handed it to him. I told him it was a nice note for his mother. He smiled back so sincerely and said, "thank-you!" with eager enthusiasm, that I was glad I sent the latter note. I know inside it isn't his fault he feels behind. He is not the one in charge of his life, and he justs wants to feel good about his efforts. I rustled his hair and told him we were going to get him caught up. Then he raced out the door and I knew I would wait for the note coming back to me tomorrow!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

peanut butter and magic

Today was fun. We have been reading a story that took place in Ghana. On the pages following the story we saw a recipe for peanut butter, one of the main staples in Ghana. The people actually use peanuts, which grows plentifully, as their number one source of protein. So, while I was at Wal-Mart last night I saw some peanuts seasoned with sea salt and I thought why not? I packed up my blender, oil, spatula, measuring cups, crackers (to spread the peanut butter on), and extension cord. It only took me two trips to get all the items to my classroom. This meant I had to walk all across campus with items in tow. I felt like the pied piper, as I seemed to gather children along the way. First, I dropped the top to the blender which was hanging out of the bag. One of my students ran to my rescue. "What are we making?" they kept asking as we marched across campus, more students following, picking up the various items that kept falling from my now ripped bag. We finally reached the picnic table and relieved ourselves of the scattered items. We all started back for the second trip. After the morning recess we turned to the peanut butter making recipe. I slowly started pulling out the items from my bag as we read the recipe. My students literally cheered. We each tasted a peanut first, discussing the fact they were salted from the sea, and we were studying the ocean this week. Then, we measured and poured. I turned it on, and we plugged our ears. We counted to sixty twice. I opened the lid and sure enough there was a sticky pasty substance inside. I walked around to show each student and there was reverence as they looked. It was magical. We scooped and tasted. Perfect. We all agreed that it was way better than the peanut butter purchased in the store and many vowed to go home and make it with their parents. All I could think of was I hope they don't hate me for it. When the day was over, two little girls hugged me tight and said, "I love you!" I know they really loved the peanut butter and our moment of magic.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The custodian saves the day!

So, I rarely show any type of movie to my students because I figure they can get their TV watching at home. But, we have been studying different biomes and the one we are into this week is the ocean. I checked out the library to see if they have any educational videos on the ocean and to my shock and awe they actually had one! I was so excited! It looked very educational and I planned the last ten minutes of the day to let my students watch this as a good introduction to the depths of the ocean and the darkness. We worked hard all day and it was a great motivator for the slower ones to speed up so we could have our reward. We finished everything! We even did an extra math sheet so that we could justify it all. We packed up, I passed out reward bucks, and the students were waiting and ready as I put in the video and presto, nothing happened. I grabbed the remote and I tried it again. Nothing. The students yelled it's the channel! So, I took the remote and we switched channels all over. Nothing. The machine read VCR, but there was no action in the movie department. My most determined student came forward and asked to see the remote. By now, the minutes were ticking away fast and I was desperate. He looked it over and pressed buttons that we both agreed should work. Nothing. I sent a student with a note to the teacher next door on my right. Did she have any gifted students in the audio visual department that might lend a hand? She sent a student who indeed looked the part. We both studied the remote, the TV, the video/DVD machine. We pressed the button that read VCR/DVD. We both scratched our heads and the students looked devestated. I felt that way inside, but instead I put on my best face and we proceeded to play an Around the World math game. Meanwhile I sent a student next door to my left, to the P.E. teacher. who seems to get the machinery to work, because I can hear it through the walls periodically. She came over and worked, and worked while the students and I looked hopeful Nothing. Finally, the bell rang. I sent the children off with a promise we would watch it tomorrow, all the while wondering how that would happen. I marveled how people get any machine to work when they really need it to?! Then the teacher to my right walked in and we both tried to get the movie to play. We could hear it moving inside as we leaned our heads up to the machine. We must have made quite a picture. Us standing with our ears plastered, because when our custodian walked in he just stopped and stared. We almost bumped our heads on the TV as we explained we couldn't get it to play a video. He studied the remote we were holding and then quietly reached up and grabbed a small gray one on the back of the machine. The one I was holding was large and black. He pressed a little button and it was a miracle!! The movie started. This guy went into the genious category instantly in my mind! We had had over three teachers try and all it took was one little switch to make it all happen. I was singing the praises of our custodian who never made me feel like a non-intellectual. He just smiled and I realized when we switch rooms at a school site it would be so helpful to receive a little training on the electronics! Each room seems to be a little different. Maybe tomorrow I can wow my students with ten minutes on the ocean. Hopefully the training I received from our humble room servant can stay with me for another day. One never knows!!

Monday, September 21, 2009

The children always know best!

Today was a Monday of all Mondays! I got yelled at for parking my car where it is not marked kindergarten drop off. I was met with a new student that no one told me was coming. I couldn't get my key to unlock my door and then realized I had left my keys in the staff room and I was in fact using someone else's. (it was actually my students that noticed!!) But the ultimate was today during math. We have been learning to round off numbers. Today was rounding to the nearest ten thousands. I gave, I thought one of the most stellar introductions to rounding off I have ever heard. I even heard applauds ringing in my ears. I had passed out the practice sheets to my students. I explaining the first three problems and I was on a roll. I wrote examples on the board and then asked them to do the next five on their own and we would correct them. I circled, I wrote, I was at my top form. It wasn't until I asked them to do problems independently that I noticed a few puzzled stares. Yet, they were respectful and didn't say a word. I walked over to finish stapling homework. I looked up and all my students were leaned over their desks hard at work. I really got the concept across I thought. I gave them ample time and then I approached the board to go over the answers. As I walked over to the board to ask who would like to do the first problem, I realized no one volunteered. I walked around and the reason stared back at me. I had taught them the concept of rounding off to the ten thousands and had given them a multiplcation paper. I couldn't believe no one said a word. The puzzled looks came back to me and I understood why. My students were working so hard to make sense of what they were seeing, that it stunned them. My page 11 was not the same as their page 11. Somehow the tablets had the wrong page for number 11. I got to hand it to my students. Their answers were very creative to make them look like rounding off . Three times three does not look like a ten thousand number unless you are a third grader trying to keep up. I quickly collected all the papers, sent them out to recess, hoping that when they came in we could start over and forget the last wasted twenty minutes. We did, and they did. They were awesome! It was a Monday, but we managed to get through it, and we even learned the real way to write ten thousand when rounding off. Thank goodness this day ended finally. Yet, through it all, I came to know that children always seem to make sense of anything, even a mixed up teacher, and move on. Sometimes that all you can do.

Friday, September 18, 2009

cupcake capers

So, my class and I have been walking our track at school to equal the miles it would take to walk to the capital cities in the western United States. We started in Southern California and made it to Sacramento in a week and a half. When we reached our destination we did alot of cheering and had a food celebration. For Sacramento we made solar ovens and cooked hot dogs (they really worked after four hours in the sun) and ate a variety of fruits and nuts, all in honor of what the San Juaquin Valley grows for us. Then we headed to Salem, Oregon which only took a matter of four days. I was searching my brain for what we could eat for Oregon and then decided to make cupcakes with sprinkles in the shape of O's. I bought the ingredients picturing the joy my students would have when I brought the cupcakes to school and had the unveiling. We sat at the table outside our classroom, and I lifted the foil that would reveal my cupcakes. I even had my students close their eyes so that we could see them all at once. My smile couldn't have been more sincere. Except, when I lifted up the foil I heard a sob from the end of the table. Instantly my students were out of their seats and surrounding a girl who was sobbing hysterically. The sympathy was apparent as fellow students solemnly patted her back. I raced down to the end of the table. "What's wrong," I implored, "who hurt you?' She could only choke on her sobs and her speech was incoherent. A friend was pushing her hand in a circular motion on her back and seemed to understand. "It's okay," she kept saying. Finally, the little boy who really is our class genious shook his head. I looked down. He stated in a compassionate tone. "She hates sprinkles!" The little girl started to sob violently again shaking her head in agreement. It took ten more minutes before we could start the cupcake eating. Two boys quickly volunteered to eat the girl's cupcake that I reassured her she didn't have to eat. My dreams were shattered. I had imagined a moment of sheer happiness, and instead was faced with a sprinkled cupcake that practically scarred a girl for life. She eventually pulled it together, still gaining sympathy from her fellow classmates long into our academic time. Then it came. Out of nowhere. I was cleaning up and passing around the trash can. One of my shyest boys, who rarely speaks, came up to me with a frosting covered face. He tapped my back. "Thank-you", he whispered as he put his trash into the can. I mouthed a "you're welcome." The day became calm and the world seemed a little brighter. A moment of appreciation for all that we teachers do is welcomed every once in a while. The rest is all in a day's work.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Children tell the truth

Today started out like any other. I walked towards my classroom which is located right on the playground and I am attacked by last year's students. They always seem to find me when I have several things in my hand and they swarm like bees. I can't help but thinking, children act like they haven't seen you forever, when they just hugged you fifteen minutes ago. I fnally worked through the throng of students and gave each one of my best hugs. Finally I get my key in the door, and think okay, maybe I can get a few things done before the bell rings. Not the case. I am rushed by two breathless girls from my class. "We've been attacked, we've been attacked!" they are screaming. I put my personal items in the closet and give my undivided attention to my two young informers. I look to see if there is obvious blood or markings. None. I nod as they both describe what happened in the girls bathroom, (one of the worse places on an elementary campus), they use their hands to show how they were slugged by a girl and they did nothing to deserve it. Their eyes plead their innocence. I march the playground with them as they search for their attacker. These girls by the way, are on the larger side, and I am thinking as we walk, this girl who slugged them must be even larger to take them on. We spot the predator and my two young friends are pointing and accusing. The girl I am looking at is two years younger and not even half their size. I got to admit, I admired her spunk. She looked solemn when I asked if she attacked my girls. She nodded in agreement. Then I ask her the most important question. "Why?" She looked me squarely in the face and said, "My fists started and I couldn't stop them." This girl must weigh about fifty pounds if she is lucky. She was as serious as could be. I had to look away. "You couldn't stop them?" She shook her head no. Then the tears started. They were immediate with repentance. I asked if she knew these girls and she says she does, but they give her dirty stares. When they walked past her at the sink, that was when her fists couldn't control themselves. I questioned whether her mind should have told her fists to stop, and she thinks it over and then says "no" that is not possible. Well, we decided she could sit out a few recesses to learn that it was possible. Fists should not hurt others. I lost all my working time, but I marveled how the young lady never tried to get out of the situation, she stood her ground and told the truth as she saw it. She was not trying to prove a point, just trying to make sense of the world in her own way. Children have an innocence that is an amazement day after day. My job is to convince her that her mind can control a situation when given a chance. She sat out three recesses to agree.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

An enlightening day

Today started out ordinary, except for the fact that I was met at the door when I arrived at school by the young, eager college student needing some observation hours I forgot I signed up for. I thought, "oh no, I don't have that great of a day lined up, but like we all do, I put on my best smile and greeted her with enthusiasm. I asked casually how long she was staying and she sparkled even brighter and said, "all day!" Well, I pulled some tricks out of a hat, and tried my best to give her something to look at that would make her go away with a passion for teaching. I felt obligated to not let her down, and even more so, the whole teaching profession. The day progressed and I had the patience we all dream of. I handled the girl who fell at recess and cried for the whole twenty minutes, until I could get the story straight that she had lost her dignity when she crashed into the boy she had a crush on while running out of the bathroom. I solved it peacefully. Then I listened intently while another little girl explained for the fifth time that she had cheerleading practice after school and wanted me to come watch. I reassured her she was going to have a great time, but I didn't think I could make it. I was even saintly while the young man in my class called a little girl a "damn girl", because she licked her hand and wiped it on his face. Patience, patience, patience was my middle name. I thought to myself, the teaching world is so lucky to have me. The day finally ended and I was saying good-bye. I thought this girl was probably impressed with my abilities and expert teaching.l I gave her my biggest smile and asked. "well, what do you think?" She took out her numerous pages of notes, and paused for a moment. I thought here it comes. Compliments, compliments. Instead she said the most enlightening comment I heard all day. "What a lucky person you are, " pause, "you get to teach the most adorable kids!" In a moment she summed up why we get up in the morning and why we show up each day and work hard. It's the kids. They make it all worthwhile and it took an eager college student to remind me that I am lucky to be a part of lives that I can influence for years to come. All in all, it was a good lesson to remember. An ordinary day actually handed me a lesson I needed reminding of every once in a while.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

With all the budget changes going on in the public school system the teachers seem to be the last ones on the priority list. Our office staff has been cut to a bare minimum, so if a teacher needs anything at all they are on their own! Take today for example. I was working late and walked out to get into my car after putting in over nine hours at school. I walked towards the office and noticed everything was locked up. I looked at my watch and sure enough the staff had left early and in their efficiency they closed every exit from the school to the parking lot. Great. I walked around the school for fifteen minutes. Not one exit was available, and not only that, but I have no key to this lockdown. I finally had to throw my belongings over the gated fence and scale the sucker. Of course a parent happened to be driving in. They were alarmed that someone was trying to break out of the school. "It's okay I yelled. I am a teacher!" I had a hard time convincing her, since she is a PTA parent and she has a key. She let me out with a smug smile. Her last comments were, "maybe you should see about getting a key!" I reassured her I would look into it. It's all in a days work.