It is that time of year when everyone starts planning for the next school year. Are you still going to do the same thing? Who is retiring? Who is changing schools/grades? It gets a bit crazy.
And we are in the home stretch. This is the time of year when there are virtually no days off. The trimester flies by. I am already beginning to panic about getting our mammal reports done. There are two months left. And there are interruptions galore. We have state testing (again and again and again), three field trips, transition to middle school, assemblies, parties, talent shows and so on. It is a crazy time of year. And the kids have spring fever. The behavior problems increase, the attitudes change.
And I am hanging on for dear life. And I am blogging when I should be grading papers. My students were so chatty today. But in the long run there is one reason I do this.
At Target over the weekend, I ran into a former student. From about six years ago when I taught high school math. She is in college now. First she was impressed that I remembered her name and what she planned to do when she grew up. But then after catching up on the new career path and how things were going, she gave me the ultimate teacher award. She told me that math was always hard for until she was in my class. And I explained things to her in a way that made them start to click. And it has been a lot easier for her ever since. My tattered teacher ego got the boost it needed.
I hope that I can help each of them be a little more successful and happy. Now I have proof that it worked for one more student.
5 comments:
That's great. Can you please teach me math? My life would have been completely different if I'd ever gotten my head around math.
Those are the best moments. I always liked when the parents said something positive - better yet, wrote it down so I could keep it! That's what I miss most about teaching... the difference you make in someone's life. Not all the standardized testing ;)
now THAT is what it's all about. good for the ex-student for telling you that. and good for you, for being so patient and clear!
i had a teacher like that in math once. the clouds began to part, i began to understand.... and then she went on maternity leave, and the replacement was just as obtuse as all previous math teachers, and to make a long story short i am not a rocket scientist today. or any scientist.
i just shut off the numbers part of my brain to the point where i can barely balance a checkbook.
What a great pay off for all your hard work. Even better that it came at a time when you really needed it!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!! YEAH!!!!!I hope that you guys get to enjoy your day and night!!!!!
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