Grateful Friday

How important is rounding anyway?!?

I asked my principal that yesterday.  It is not going well.  I have students who got it immediately and declared loudly, "This is easy!" followed by, "What should I do next, Teacher?"

I have students who don't get it and dully stare at their paper.

I have students who basically know how to do the work but want to sit by me while they do it.

I have students who just aren't paying attention.  Maybe they'd understand if they'd listen?

I have one adorable and charismatic boy who doesn't speak much English.  He says, "Teacher!  Help!"

Many many times a day.

Have you ever tried explaining how to round a three digit number to the tens place to someone who doesn't speak English?

This year is hard.  I knew it would be hard.  We have shorter days (so we can work with online students) and in that shorter time frame, we're trying to catch them up from what they missed and squeeze all the regular third grade curriculum in.

I felt like crying yesterday because all the frustration was mounting inside.  I just want to teach them all the things!  I need more time!

I sat on the couch next to Mark and told him all about it.  He put his arm around me and said, "Well, Mom.  You have chosen a job that is really hard.  But you are giving them your all.  That is enough."

My seventeen year old wise man.

I'm grateful for him.

I'm also grateful for all the things that are easier this school year.  My class is very well behaved.

The other day when my English language learner and I were at a complete impasse, I decided we needed help.

I turned to my class and said, "Keep working, we'll be back."

I took my student down the hall to the special ed teacher who speaks Spanish fluently.  I asked her to explain it to him.

She did.

They talked back and forth.

Did he understand?

She explained some more.

I wrote on his paper and he rounded the number correctly.

We weren't gone five minutes but we were gone long enough that I wasn't sure what would greet me on our return.

Every student was in their seat.  They were all on task.  I'm so grateful that they are such obedient and sweet kids.  It helps so much.  If I had major discipline problems on top of the they-can't-read-or-do-math problems, it would be so much harder.

I'm grateful Adam and I have been walking every night because it gives me a chance to talk to him and breathe in fresh air and I love it (and him).

He went out after I went to bed the other night and filled Joan with gas.

He makes me breakfast more often than not. He does a million little things to help me and make life better.

I'm grateful that when we returned from our walk last night, Emma was here playing the piano and singing.  Her wifi wasn't working so she and her roommates (who all live in Pleasant Grove) went home for the night and the wifi.

I'm grateful to remember the heroes that gave their lives on this day so many years ago.  I'll never forget the horror of that day, the innocent lives lost or the stories I've heard of the heroes.

There is more to life than rounding numbers.  I want to remember more often that my little charges are children first and I don't want school to be this stressful place for them where we can't fit everything in.

They are children.

They remind me of that when they tell me stories and need their shoes tied or have a joke to share.  The other day, a boy came to school brimming with a joke he had to tell me: 

Knock knock...

Who's there?

Hoot Hoot

Hoot Hoot who?

Are you an owl?  Because you just hooted!

They all laughed like it was the best joke they'd ever heard.

How important is rounding anyway?