1st week teaching

So I have finished my first week teaching -- what a crazy week it was.

My kids are precious. They have attitudes, don't get me wrong. But they are precious. I already have so many stories about almost all of them. We have 12 kids in our class, 7 of whom are actually Special Ed. It's interesting to already be getting some practice, however its frustrating because we can't see their IEPs so we don't know what these children need to help them learn (accommodations, modifications, etc.)

My lessons have not gone very well, as a general rule. 5th grade math is a lot harder than you might think, especially since the majority of what we are learning is so second nature to a 22 year-old that I don't even know how to break it down enough to teach it to them. I plan for hours, try to come up with games or activities to get the kids engaged, but something is disconnected between what I say and what they understand. I am certainly learning a lot, though. And my lesson on Friday was finally a success, I believe. In fact, I had 3 hundreds on their exit assessments! That made me feel pretty good.

Thursday, however, was another story. One of my kids actually told me to "Go to ..." you know =). I just looked at him. I could never imagine saying that to a teacher, but this is the world I have now entered. I also had a test thrown at me -- "man, I'm not takin' no stupid test." The good thing about all of this: I have a pretty stellar teacher face and teacher voice. I certainly have room to grow in many things -- but a raised eyebrow does wonders for getting a kid's attention.

The biggest highlight of the week (and the moment that runs through my head when I am exhausted at 3 in the morning still lesson planning or when a kid is refusing to take a test):

One of our students, R (for privacy and such we can't say their names) was the first of our students to make a one hundred on an exit assessment. We had already decided that we would have a "Hundred Club" and that any student who received a 100 would get a medal/badge thing and they would get a standing ovation from the class. We wanted to make it a really big deal and make them see that it was cool and exciting to get a 100, not dumb. Anyway -- on Wednesday morning we were able to tell the class about our Hundred Club. You should have seen how excited the kids got when they found out about it. (especially since if you get in the Hundred Club, you get FIVE "I Can" coins -- our token reward system. As my co-teacher said, "Can you imagine, that at 8:31 and 16 seconds, you could already have FIVE COINS?!" To which the entire class gasped!) So then we told them -- we already have our first member of the Hundred Club. They freaked! So of course we built up the excitement to telling them who it was. When we finally called R's name -- I cannot even express in words this child's face. He looked at us in complete and utter surprise. He looked around the room at all four teachers and was so stunned he didn't know what to do. My co-teacher Erin (Ms. Johnson) told him to come up and receive his prize.. and he just looked at us. He turned to me and said, "Is it really me??" I could have cried. I actually think that all four of us started to tear up watching his face. For the rest of the day, he would come up to me and say "Ms. MeGahee, look! I'm gonna get another hundred. I really am!" He was so proud.

This child has completely stolen my heart. When we observed the class last week (when the real teachers were teaching), he had to be consistently separated from the class because he has some behavior issues that keep him from working with others. However -- that is beginning to change. We had a talk about how he was a role model for the class now because he was the Hundred Man (I don't know why I called him that, but he loves it). Anyway, we are working on his behavior and now he sits with the class just like everyone else. He has also gotten a 100 every day since Wednesday. So last week, he got three in a row, and we already know he will be getting one on Monday. He told me Friday his goal was to get 10 in a row!

I could probably talk for a very long time about all my kids -- there is C who is so smart but so easily frustrated and quick to give up. I am trying to figure out how to keep him motivated even if he doesn't get a 100. Then there is K, who doesn't think its cool to be smart -- so even though he knows the answers and knows the skills, he doesn't do the work on his assessments. However, Friday he received a 100 on my assessment -- I can't wait to show him and make a big deal about him so that he will see its okay to be smart and do well -- in fact its cool.

Then there's T, who has been so beaten up by the fact that he is Special Ed he doesn't even want to try his work. I think he is so afraid of failing he just doesn't even attempt it. We haven't figured out a way to motivate him -- when I told him he had received a 100 in reading so he could do it in math too, he told me "Man, I'm just not good at math." When I told him he needed to do the work so he could pass and go to 6th grade, he told me "I don't want to go to 6th grade." Pray for him and pray for us trying to reach him. I know he has it in him -- I wish I knew how to motivate him and get him invested in school.

That's probably the over-arching theme of this class. Our kids just don't think they can do things. So most of the time that means they don't even try. If I had a nickel for every time this week that I heard "I don't know how to do this" I wouldn't have to worry about finding money to pay for an apartment!

Things are going well. I'm often exhausted and frustrated, mostly at myself and at this system that lets kids get to this point, but I know that I am learning a lot and that I am slowly reaching these kids. Hopefully, lesson planning will get easier with more practice so I'll have time to update this more frequently. Cross your fingers!!