People have been telling me that it would get easier after November. I must say that hasn’t proven true for me. I’ve noticed a few patterns, though. If I give lined paper with a heading and a place for name, my students are more likely to write than if they were to write in their notebooks. Thinking isn’t a talent you’re born with; it’s learned. Kids notice a lot more than adults give them credit for. There’s always too much paper to grade and never enough time to grade it. My classroom will never look the way I want it to. One good day always precedes an awful day. Just when I lose hope, something inspiring happens and just when I get cocky, something humbling occurs. I can never think of a good assembly idea or a good bulletin board idea. I don’t like either. I do like class trips, tho. Three weeks to Christmas break. If only I could stop the conversations in my head, I might be able to survive this. All my students individually chose blue as their favorite color, with the exception of one, who likes brown. Almost all would ban littering if they ruled the world. Girls feel sad if they have a fight with their best friend, while the boys feel mad.
Hey, good to see that you are hanging in there. As they say, teaching is the hardest job you’ll ever love. One of my old profs repeated several times, when we encounter the bad days, to: “Teach em to think and give em a positive experience.”
Best wishes for more discoveries. It sounds like your students are lucky to have someone who cares as much as you do.
Well, at least you don’t say you’re going to quit!
I’m sure that this time next year, you’ll look back at the entire experience with a smile.
oh I say I will quite at least twice daily. And I don’t think I will smile about this. At least I should not cuz it’s not funny. 🙂