This year, the very same day, I am feeling exactly the opposite. I am astonished at how quickly we have settled into a routine. (It helps when you actually know what kind of routine you want the students in!!!) I think the reality of the success hit me when, after school, I picked up 1 little piece of trash and 1 pencil from the classroom floor. Last year, the floor would be covered with garbage every day, no matter how many times I told them to clean up. This year, I have students signing in and out to use the bathroom, and doing it correctly 90% of the time. Last year, I still couldn't get them to sign out correctly in May. The difference? It is a million times easier to teach a routine correctly the first time and continue to reteach that same routine than it is to teach a routine, then change it, then change it again, and hope the students can keep up. Yes, this year is better.
Another celebration of the day: yesterday when I launched Daily 3: Read to Self I was a bit nervous when the students only built up 1 min 30 seconds of read to self "stamina." I left feeling like we had a looong way to go!!! Today, they made it up to 15 minutes!!! I felt like doing a happy dance! It was like they all decided that this was a goal they wanted to achieve, and worked for it together. Amazing. I was sooo proud.
Some not so thrilling parts of the day:
- Crazy mom continuing to criticize, this time about things I haven't even DONE yet, but that she seems to be anticipating I will do...for example, her writing me a note saying her gifted child needs to be challenged and that this is MY job to do, not HER job to do at home. (did i say it was??? I love gifted children and am HAPPY to challenge them!!! I've worked with gifted kids in summer for 3 years!)
- One of my tough guy students writing in his get to know you letter to me that I should know, "If u be mean to me I be mean to u." Alright then! (My response? Obv, "I never be mean to students who behave--like i know you will!!")
- Discovering just how low some of my students are in reading...yikes. I am already nervous...I have my work cut out for me!!
Kudos to you for recognizing how far you have come in one short year. I remember when I was new at my job and my first solo meeting with a client. I was so nervous. Now I can handle that initial meeting with confidence, even if I don't always know the answers to their questions!
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