Wow.....
Since August:
New job
Ended the relationship
Little Bro turned 20
Sister still in Africa
Moving out
New roommate
And that's only 2 months.....
Who knows where the next 2 months will find me.
Teacher note: I have left my comfort zone of Kindergarten and moved on up! I am now teaching 1st grade after 4 years in Kindergarten. Not only did I change grade levels, but I'm also at a different (year round!!) school. I have a VERY challenging class which in the 13 school days I have been there have given me the flu, almost broken my hand (on purpose), literally affected my blood pressure, and made me rethink teaching. I NEVER thought I would have to defend and argue with other teachers about how I have to be ''naive'', I have to think I can change the world one child at a time. If I didn't have that little nugget of hope, I wouldn't get through the day. But in the past 3 weeks, I have cried on the phone to my mother more times than I can remember about how lost and unprepared I already feel with this class. They had a teacher quit on them when they needed stability more than anything and they do not respect a single adult in that building mostly because every day one of them asks me when I plan on leaving them. It breaks my heart, but it doesn't shock me. We have made baby steps, and I see the kind of class they can be.
Some things that have really helped:
Music - Greg and Steve as found on grooveshark.com (totally check out this website!). We have a very active class and before any transition (going to specials, before lunch, assemblies, the library, even when we're about to go outside) we play a song that gets our wiggles out. Thank God for music and childrens' love of dancing.
Fuzzies - This is a gem that I stole from a teacher I worked with at my last school. We have a 'fuzzy jar' and whenever I think as a class they are doing something wonderful they get a fuzzy. Whenever they are given a compliment by another teacher or student or any adult such as "What a nice quiet line" or "They were great today in Art"; they get a fuzzy. They have really taken to compliments and I see them giving each other compliments without me prompting them! I love seeing good manners in young children because unfortunately it seems so rare these days. I like the tangible idea of a fuzzy (ya know, those little puff balls) and it makes me think of warm fuzzies. So when they fill the fuzzy jar, we get to have a little celebration. It could be having a pajama day, popcorn for snack, Magic School Bus video, etc. A good class bonding activity. This certainly isn't a new concept, you can even buy a pre-made kit: http://www.reallygoodstuff.com/product/warm+fuzzy+jar+kit.do
But I like mine..
2 Dollar store bags of fuzzies: $2
a jar from my pantry: recycled sauce jar, about $2
Teaching kids the great feeling from earning, receiving, or giving a compliment: priceless
3 comments:
Bless you for the continued effort - we need more educated and trained teachers and they need to be better compensated and supported! :-*
Don't let other teachers bring you down. Find someone that you respect and bounce ideas off that person, as well as look for encouragement from then. This is my 20th year of teaching middle school and I am having one of the best years of my career thanks to the awesome kids I teach. If you ever need to chat about anything teaching related feel free to shoot me an email!
i love the idea of a 'fuzzy jar', i'm definitely going to try this in my classroom. I'm sorry to hear that you're having such a rough year. I love your attitude though. don't listen to what those others are saying, because you are making a difference in these students' lives. they may not be making it easy for you, but not leaving them like everyone else has makes you the best teacher they've had! Stay strong and good things will come. :)
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