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)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

This year was a rough year and there were moments when I felt pretty low on inspiration when it came to the classroom. But I got to share in a little moment of success with my students when they had a "book release" party and got to share some books they had written with the rest of the kids in the school.  This was part of a year long process. We spent weeks learning about how to become authors.  We learned what the component of a story were, proper illustrations, sequencing events.  It went on and on.  They  put everything they had into creating these books and the pride they had in them was tangible.  They were willing to go slow, think about it and enjoyed the process.  I loved this moment and loved helping them create this success.  Authoring a book is something I have always wished I had the talent and drive for.  I transferred a little of that onto them I think and even if I'll never have the joy of my own "book release" event, sharing theirs was enough.
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