I realize I haven’t written anything in a while. Mostly because I haven’t had a second to myself since…wait…what’s today?
A quick recap before I get back to my amazing lesson plans. My first day was…an experience. All I did was give them rules and a test. Grading the diagnostics certainly validated our being here this summer. My little 6th graders are smart, they just don’t know the material. Yet.
My first “real” day was a lesson on the writing process, aka the most boring lesson in the world. I tried to make it interesting, and they seemed to be on board for the most part, but I felt like I was pulling teeth. They were confused, they were discouraged, and I felt like a failure. If they don’t “get it” it’s not their fault – it’s mine. My 26 6th graders ‘want’ to be 7th graders and they ‘want’ to learn, they just need to be taught.
I was relieved to find, upon grading their assessments, that they actually learned something on Tuesday. They nailed the writing process! Confused as they seemed, something must have clicked. With that experience under my belt, I made today’s lesson on narrative writing SUPER awesome. It was interactive, they were participating, their hands were shooting up every time I asked a question, it felt great. I’m starting to feel like a teacher.
I do have a handful of students who certainly don’t belong in my class. They are acing the material. One student in particular, Rudy, is so bored that he refuses to participate or do his work. Rudy is my favorite. He’s sassy, he’s stubborn, and he’s absolutely brilliant. I just have to drag it out of him. He now sits right in front of me where I can keep an eye on him and ask him the more challenging questions. Yesterday he turned in a blank assessment. After a little talk today, he turned in a half-blank assessment. We’ll see what tomorrow holds!
I’m more tired than I have ever been in my life. Some people on my floor are already starting to crack. I might be up until 2 every night and up at 5:25 every morning (breakfast is at 5:30) but I’m finally doing something that I’m 100% committed to. If I didn’t love every second of this, I’d be crying on the phone to my parents every night, too. I have heard many a horror story about Institute in my day, but I hope my story will be one of success and inspiration. The first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, my body aching and my eyes heavy, I think about the day my students all pass the 6th grade and become 7th graders. That’s why I teach. I teach for Alexi, who has yet to say a word in my class, I teach for Rudy, who I WILL inspire to write, and I teach for Flor, who is brilliant but too embarrassed to let her true potential show. I love these kids. Every day, I can’t wait for tomorrow.
P.S. The bathrooms are finally tolerable. I still wear flops in the shower, but Moody is growing on me. (As Ryan so sweetly put it, “In the form of a fungus.”)
