Skip to main content

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

  I must be doing something right. Today when I told my 8th graders it was time to go to lunch the response was, “Already? We just got here! We need to make this class longer, Mrs. I am going to go talk to Mrs. ___. I am going to ask her to give us more time with you.” The rest of the class yelled out in agreement. These are the same kids that walked into my classroom on the first day of school and told me they did not like to read and write.

Today in class we were doing a round-robin activity about writing topics. Brainstorming was done on a big piece of newsprint. Students could draw or write a topic on the paper. The EC teacher in with me was surprised I was letting them draw and not use words. As she saw the process unfold (we started with drawing and the second time around was all words), she saw the potential in the activity.  Students were engaged and doing what writers do – talking about their ideas. Tomorrow they get their composition books to tell their story. I am not sure what this will look like, but I do know that they are excited about having ownership in their writing. One of the boys plans on having his all about big sea fishing, another  hunting, and another football. I envision personal narratives, persuasive writing, memoirs, poetry, and whatever else is in the curriculum focused on their area of interest. Some will be specific pieces of writing assigned by me, while others will be free writes of their choosing. It is so invigorating to hear them so excited about doing something they claim they do not like.

While all my classes enjoy the unique way in which I teach, one of my 7th grade classes is a bit more of a challenge. Not because of the students or even the curriculum, but because six of them have to leave halfway through the class to get intensive reading instruction. I am at a loss on how to make this work for them. Do I focus on reading or writing when they are in class. What do they not need? These kids tend to take longer to complete the assignment because of their struggle with reading and writing. Add to that leaving class while the rest of the students continue to work on the assignment. I hate to say it, but I am at a loss. It is time for me to talk to the person in charge of special education for our school. Unfortunately, when I went to go talk to her today, she was not in.  In the meantime, I will keep plugging away.

Whether teaching class or coaching soccer, the time flies by. I wonder who I can talk to about getting more time? 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Next Chapter Begins...

The first round of tears happened during the 8 th grade promotion. It has been such a wonderful year with all of them – 7 th and 8 th graders alike. The second round of tears came when I learned I do not have a contract for next year. I will not be returning to Benson Middle School unless the displaced teachers do not jump at the chance for my classroom.   Right after she told me, I did my best to remain professional and keep the tears at bay. Unfortunately, they came anyway. About the time the tears hit my eyes, an email a dear friend sent me when I first wrote about the contract situation came to mind: “There is always a reason for things. Maybe God wants you to move on and inspire other students.” I love what she says. I feel that with my whole being. However, it did not make hearing that I have no job any easier. So now what? I am floating off the edge again. My family began the year in two different states. We are reunited again in North Carolina. Both Tony and I with
7 comments
Read more

WABDR: Preparations

PREPARATIONS AND PACKING I know you are ready to hear about this epic adventure of ours. Believe me, I was ready to hop on my bike (I named her Hanaa, meaning “happiness, joy, and peace”) and go. But before one is ready to go into the Wild, preparations need to be made. Before I get into the preparations, let’s talk about the importance of naming your bike. My Shadow back home is named, Layla. I can hear you singing along to the song right now. That is exactly where her name came from, she eases my worried mind. Therefore, it was important for me to find the perfect name for the machine I would be spending the next couple of weeks with. Jennifer, my sister, had been calling it Lil Ripper. That name was not going to work for me. I saw the peace sign on the key chain and immediately started researching names meaning “peace, love, and happiness” - all necessary for life in my opinion. And I didn’t want to die on this trip. My thinking was a bit of peace, love and happiness would
2 comments
Read more

The Hardest One Yet

 From the time I began this blog, I made the conscious choice that I would be honest and open in the moment – whatever is going on. For the most part, I have done that.  After struggling about whether to write about this particular challenge (let alone share it), I chose to do the uncomfortable and do both – write and share. “Your certification has not even been processed yet. Probably won’t happen until at least the middle of January.”  I took a deep breath as I heard those words a couple weeks ago and I realized what that meant. Christmas would look very different than originally planned. The retroactive pay that Santa was counting on to make the holiday something special for our family would not be coming. I took a deep breath as I hung up the phone and walked out of my classroom, despair bombarding the hope and excitement of the upcoming holiday. A tornado of thoughts began whirling in my head as I walked to the guidance office. Playing with our budget in my head trying to
7 comments
Read more