So technically, I lose...because it's 12:18 A.M....so I really should be writing Post #3. However, this is just proof of how forgetful I am lately as well as how busy I feel. (I don't know that I'm actually very busy but rather that I feel very busy.)
Easy and cheesy answer to this one: My students.
There are lots of people that inspire me (ahem, my family? They're pretty amazing, and that's understating their amazing-ness), but lately my students have been really inspiring.
Let me give you a couple examples of why they are oh-so-wonderful:
1. I have a student, let's call him A. He came into my class not knowing his letters, letter sounds, numbers...he could count to 4. He knew his colors...in Spanish but not in English. In October, at progress report time, he was my only student who knew ZERO letters. This was a scary moment--I had to tell his parents how concerned I was...he couldn't even recognize the letters in his name. Flash forward to today, and A is one of my best students. He knows all his letters, all his letter sounds, and he is reading at a 1st grade level.
2. Now there's M. The first day of school M put a glue stick in her mouth. She wore these Ugg-like boots that were way too warm for the 90+ degree weather in San Jose. She threw temper tantrums in my classroom. I cried a couple times when trying to figure out what to do with M. I couldn't get in touch with M's parents until January despite calling her dad nearly everyday for the first 2 months of school. M's grandmother threw her homework out. M was chronically late first semester--and still tends to show up late. M has had lice twice this year, and the first time, her mom's solution was to cut her hair. M has come to school in pajamas, because there were no other clean clothes at home. When it was 35 degrees one day, M wore a skirt and a short-sleeve polo. This was not one of the days she had boots on...no, she wore normal shoes. M's journal came back to me after spring break with the words "gay fuck" written in big black letters on the first page. When I showed her dad, he smirked and found it amusing.
It's unfortunately safe to say that M has about as little support as possible at home. M also is kicking butt on my end-of-year assessments. She eagerly brings me her homework to show me her writing, and she is writing excellent stories. M rarely moves her clip down on my behavior chart. Instead, M's clip moves up nearly every day. M doesn't throw temper tantrums anymore or stick glue sticks in her mouth or make me want to cry. Instead, M makes me want every person to meet her--to see what can happen with a 6-year old, yes she's only six despite all that I said above, decides she is going to do GREAT things with her life. M wants to be a teacher when she grows up. I really hope she becomes one.
3. Of course my student stories would not be complete without mentioning E and I. E is a student who ran around my classroom the first month of school stomping his feet, swearing in Spanish, and basically making me wonder if I could survive the year. E's parents do not speak English, nor do they read or write in any language. E, however, does all his homework to perfection and is one of my highest students. How is this possible you ask? E wants to do well--he has made up his mind that he needs to do well in school, and he does. E no longer runs around my classroom; instead, he raises his hand to remind everyone to listen so the entire class can go to 1st grade. E can read and write...E works so hard every day to listen and to be a student. E has come so far.
I is my student born on the cut-off date for kindergarten. Yes, I is as young as a student can possibly be to enter kindergarten. On December 2nd, I turned 5. On December 5, another student of mine turned 6. To say that I is young is an understatement. He is about as tiny as can be, and he is adorable. Sometimes, I forget how cute he is since he is so little and easily distractible. Like E, I came into kindergarten not ready for the behavior expectations and demands. (Note: E's birthday is December 22...so he is nearly a year older than I.) I is now one of my hardest workers in class. He still struggles to pay attention since he still is crazy young, but he is doing so well. On Friday, I had my students write their numbers from 1-100. The kindergarten standard is to write from 1-30 correctly, no reversals. Every single student of mine except the student who started a month ago wrote from 1 to 100 perfectly, I included. I also added a box before 1 for 0. I inspires me, because he works SO hard, and I cannot wait for the day that everything academic clicks for him, because he is brilliant.
4. My students are breezing through the end-of-year assessments. Apparently, kindergarten is too easy for them. As I said, my students inspire me. They have worked their tiny little kindergarten butts of this year, and they are going to do PHENOMENAL things next year...and the years to follow. Did I mention they're the college class of 2026? Watch out!
No comments:
Post a Comment