When I was a student, I was convinced teacher's never had bad days. There was some unwritten rule that stated: "Teachers have to be perfect, all the time. All the time, teachers are perfect."
As a teacher, when I read about teaching, I remain convinced that is true.
However, in reality, its not.
I admit. This morning, I did not come to school on my A game, nor was I in a positive mindset.
Have ever had one of those days where you wanted to scrap everything and start over or pretend certain things never happened?
That was me, before school started.
Have no fear, things turned out OK. Why? Because, at least I think, school is not about the teacher, its about the learners. All of them. Fortunes reversed as we started the day, from the beaming smiles, to the eagerness to listen to RUMP. By 9 AM, despite the morning, the kids made the difference in the day.
To begin, an old student came back. She's a sophmore. She was part of my first ever 5/6 loop. Her task today was to job shadow. In a rural neighborhood where mentoring student teachers and first year teachers can be kinda rare, this was a very special moment. She WANTS to be a TEACHER. What made this so great was her capacity to tell the class the importance of what is taught, how she uses what she learned in sixth grade, and more importantly, her story as a struggling reader who became a great reader through guidance and determination.
Second, National Writing Day! Even though the day schedule fell apart when my sixth grade class did not return from their field trip, the fifth grade class (middle school class A) had a great day writing. We started by discussing and writing ideas based on #write2connect. This was an eye opener for me and the students. The great news is, we established the concept of audience, or who are we writing for?
Audience is going to be a game changer for this group of writers.
When Middle School Group B didnt show up (Sixth grade), we charged into the computer lab and wrote blog posts on Rump, Chapter 19. Six prompts were posted via edmodo.com and the class selected a prompt. I love the way kids think about developing their writing. As we hone in on craft and purpose, these writers are going to light fires!!
Third, to end, when a maturing reader as the job shadowee, "when you were bad at reading, why didn't you quit?" The reply, "Because I wanted to be like everyone else." In other words, she didn't want to be known as the struggling reader anymore. The questioner's eye's lit up. Everyday this reader finds a new way to believe that she can read and why she should read.
As we learn everyday, desire and attitude make the difference. Not only does everyday count, but everyday there is something to celebrate and a new step forward. Even if there is no such thing as a perfect day.
As a teacher, when I read about teaching, I remain convinced that is true.
However, in reality, its not.
I admit. This morning, I did not come to school on my A game, nor was I in a positive mindset.
Have ever had one of those days where you wanted to scrap everything and start over or pretend certain things never happened?
That was me, before school started.
Have no fear, things turned out OK. Why? Because, at least I think, school is not about the teacher, its about the learners. All of them. Fortunes reversed as we started the day, from the beaming smiles, to the eagerness to listen to RUMP. By 9 AM, despite the morning, the kids made the difference in the day.
To begin, an old student came back. She's a sophmore. She was part of my first ever 5/6 loop. Her task today was to job shadow. In a rural neighborhood where mentoring student teachers and first year teachers can be kinda rare, this was a very special moment. She WANTS to be a TEACHER. What made this so great was her capacity to tell the class the importance of what is taught, how she uses what she learned in sixth grade, and more importantly, her story as a struggling reader who became a great reader through guidance and determination.
Second, National Writing Day! Even though the day schedule fell apart when my sixth grade class did not return from their field trip, the fifth grade class (middle school class A) had a great day writing. We started by discussing and writing ideas based on #write2connect. This was an eye opener for me and the students. The great news is, we established the concept of audience, or who are we writing for?
Audience is going to be a game changer for this group of writers.
When Middle School Group B didnt show up (Sixth grade), we charged into the computer lab and wrote blog posts on Rump, Chapter 19. Six prompts were posted via edmodo.com and the class selected a prompt. I love the way kids think about developing their writing. As we hone in on craft and purpose, these writers are going to light fires!!
Third, to end, when a maturing reader as the job shadowee, "when you were bad at reading, why didn't you quit?" The reply, "Because I wanted to be like everyone else." In other words, she didn't want to be known as the struggling reader anymore. The questioner's eye's lit up. Everyday this reader finds a new way to believe that she can read and why she should read.
As we learn everyday, desire and attitude make the difference. Not only does everyday count, but everyday there is something to celebrate and a new step forward. Even if there is no such thing as a perfect day.