How many ways can I love the school where I teach?
It is no secret to anyone who 1) talks to me often or 2) reads my blog, that I feel overwhelmed bordering on all out panic at times about my inadequacies as a teacher. It is hard and I usually feel like I'm not meeting all their needs. Or any of their needs. This year even more than usual since there are just so many of them (and I'm getting a new student next week!).
Yesterday two different people at work went out of their way to give me kind encouragement. It mattered to me and infused me with confidence. I can do this!
I can't meet all their needs, but I can keep trying to!
It's not like my friends are just telling me nice things; they are pretty honest too.
In a meeting with Jamie, she was helping me figure out how to download something and saw my cluttered (putting it mildly) desktop. Here's the thing, I never close anything.
She said my computer reminded me of her daughter's bedroom.
I know.
I have a daughter too.
It wasn't a compliment.
Jamie's still my friend, though. You've gotta have friends and I'm grateful for mine!
***
Another thing I am grateful for: the unexpected kindness of children.
I have a student who is a struggle to deal with. Through no fault of his own, he has difficulty getting along with others, staying in his seat, doing grade level work, adapting to change, all of it. I have tried many times over the past few weeks to deescalate interactions between him and other students.
Yesterday, they had earned a reward for show and tell (they picked it and I kind of thought that was a strange choice--I mean, ice cream was on the table as a possible reward). This little guy missed most of the show and tell because he was in special ed. When he returned, I let him show what he'd brought and he'd been trying to show all day. The class oohed and aaahed appreciatively. When he was done, they clapped and cheered for him.
It made his day.
It made my day.
It made Emily's (the special ed teacher) day when I told her.
2 comments:
Hooray for made days!
How I love you! Oh dear. I'm on Robert's laptop and I don't want to sign in so don't worry. This is Robert's wife. Although he loves you too. But in a different way. Maybe I should just delete this?
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