The Stories...

Being an elementary teacher is a particularly trying experience. It's also particularly rewarding. Over the relatively short period of time that I've spent as a teacher I've cried, laughed and been speechless on so many occasions by the antics that go on in my little world called a classroom. Days later I'll find myself reflecting on a moment with a tear or a smile and telling myself "I really should write this stuff down." As I launch into another year of teaching, I'm sure to add to the collection of stories I already have to record. This profession is a gift. Not everyone can do it and certainly not everyone can enjoy it. But some of us can and some of us do. I can't imagine doing anything else. I'm not the best teacher in the world, I don't have the best ideas or even the most unique. I don't have the fanciest of credentials and I haven't invented anything groundbreaking. But I do have a philosophy about my job and the role it plays in our society and it's on that philosophy that I build each lesson. It's the philosophy that every child has potential and should be approached as if they hold the keys to the success of future generations. I know that not all of them will succeed and most will probably never go beyond ordinary. But do you think when Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela or Barack Obama walked into their first day of grade school that their teacher looked at them and thought, this kid will make history? I doubt they had any idea. But hopefully they looked at them and thought, here is a child, let me strive to empower them to change the world. They did and just maybe it was partly her we can all thank. And so here is my little blog, my ideas, my best and worst moments, my thought process on educating, and how it plays out each day.

Together with my students we have successes and failures. As they say on Law and Order, "These are their stories..."

(all student names have been changed to Jane and Johnny for the privacy and protection of the students and their families)

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Treasure Box

Today was "Treasure Box Day."  The kids earn plastic coins for good behavior and then on Thursday they can cash them in for a "treasure"- which is basically just a trinket toy.  Usually this goes smoothly but often enough more than one child wants the same toy and things can get a little hairy.
      Today three kids all wanted this plastic toy computer.  I draw name-sticks to see who gets to pick first. Of course the computer gets snatched right up by lucky boy number one.  The two other boys melt into frustrated tears.  Anticipating that this would happen I had previously spent a long minute talking them through how to handle the disappointment that was inevitable for at least two of them. As these things usually go I was expecting the worst. As the two slighted boys weep they suddenly become aware of the shared disappointment of each other.  They throw their little arms around one another, tears streaming down their cheeks and, although still weeping, they lay aside their own hurt in order to console one another.
"You'll find another favorite toy someday."
"I'll invite you over to my house to play with my REAL computer."
"Don't cry your mommy can go to the toy store and buy you one"
"Oh it's okay...I'm so sorry this happened to you"
They cling to each other weeping until the tears finally fade and then it's their turn to pick a treasure.  Without much more ado they settle on another toy and move through the rest of the day happy as pie. As for myself I got my "treasure" for the day and it was in watching them, in their own highly comical little way put aside their own feelings just to console one another, even though their own disappointment was so great they couldn't keep from crying.
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