Friday has come again and the third week of summer school is over. The days are passing more quickly now and I am in my rhythm. That's what happens when kids weasel their way into my heart. I look forward to seeing their tired little faces every morning and watching the transformation as I smile and say "How's it goin'?" They don't really want to respond but they just can't help themselves. The student teachers are getting some ah hahs about who is sitting in the seats and what walks through the door with them - deceased or seriously injured parents, language issues, sibling rivalry that lands them in the emergency room, kids who talk freely about learning disabilities or missed elementary school benchmarks, not to mention all the "normal" middle school social issues that at any moment can rear their ugly heads.
There were many positive events this week.
#1 on the list is my appreciation for working in an air conditioned classroom. You don't really know how wonderful it is until the temperature rises above 90. I realized one morning as I was rushing to work that I didn't need to hurry in to get the windows open in order to get the early morning air in the classroom. What a relief! It comes with a feeling of respect for who we are and what we are about. You just can't expect much of a product when human beings are forced to work in unbearably hot classrooms.
#2 Facing 32-34 challenged students each period makes me appreciate and almost crave the balanced classroom. I love how kids learn from one another. 6th grade is just a great age when they start to realize that everyone has gifts to share. Summer school kids are the ones whose voices haven't been heard and they're usually not sure how to get them in the room in an appropriate manner.
#3 Teaching reading and writing in summer school has helped me consolidate my thinking about what I want do to connect the two in the regular school year. I can't wait to get started. I have truly missed the teaching of reading and didn't know how much until now.
#4 Today's conversation with my student teachers was very complimentary. They have been out to enough classrooms and had enough personal experiences with individual kids that they can now see what I bring to the classroom. I don't need their approval to know who I am as a teacher but it sure feels better when it is spoken out loud.
One final observation that has struck me this week is once again the difference between my primary and secondary experiences. Once upon a time long ago I taught at GM and looped from first to second grade. In that class was a boy who I lovingly termed "hell on wheels." I didn't know how else to describe him. He wasn't LD or ED but he was totally out of control. His mom called the police to their house several times over the 2 years I had him. He kicked in doors, destroyed property and just generally caused mayhem. But on the other hand he was charismatic, lovable and really wanted to succeed. The past 4 years haven't solved any problems. He's been at Opportunity and out and "home schooled" which really means he was just not in school. And now he's attempting to re-enter the academic world. He's not happy about it but is making an attempt to play the game. I have had the pleasure of having a few conversations with him this week. In every one of them he was always respectful and went out of his way to greet me by name - that doesn't always happen in middle school. I have been struck by the differences in these challenging kids between 1/2 grade and 7th. As a young child he was the personification of hyper kinetic energy. You never knew where he would end up from one minute to the next. His voice could go from normal speech to yelling and screaming in a split second. Today you would think he was one of the most mellow kids on earth. It's all part of the act and much more difficult to address. He has clearly been my ah ha for summer school. Inside the bodies of our super cool adolescent kids who can''t be bothered even answering your questions is the little boy who just cannot come to terms with his inside feelings and the outside world.
Week 3 has been a turning point. It is the realization of how deeply I love my job no matter who is in the seats. It is also clear to me how much I need to be challenged in my profession. I love the kids that make me rethink what and how I teach. But it is also the awareness that we are on the downhill side.
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