Just a random thought...why is it that people tend to reflect on life at the END of the year? Why do we not reflect at the end of every month or week or even mid-year so that we my somehow make ourselves more effecient or "better." More frequent self-examination could lead to successful new year's resolutions, or new-month's resolutions. Couldn't it?
Anyway, enough of that tangent. I was just trying to figure that out. The past several months have actually been one massive reflection of one sort or another. What about the way I do my job could be different? Are my students learning anything? Those are often the two questions that launch me into my professional self-evaluation. Recently, I was reading through my journal as I often do. I came across my entry from the first day of school. (See The Horrors...) It was a nightmare! I felt like I was in over my head. The kids were more clueless than I had expected. They couldn't figure out how to walk in a line. They had no attention spans. They couldn't eat anything without spilling it all over the place. And so much more. I seriously thought that I wasn't going to make it through the day. And when the day did end, all I could do was cry! (No surprise there!) As I read through that I found myself laughing. And then I started to feel proud of myself. I remember after that first day of school, I went home, and I said "Why didn't that work? What do I need to change?" Over the past several months, I have found those questions to be key to my success as a teacher. Figuring out was doesn't work, being honest with myself about the failure and succcesses as well. I felt this pride because I had been able to figure out how to continue to improve myself as a teacher and the education of my students. I was also very proud of my students. They have come a LONG way in just a few short months. They now can walk in a line. They can sit on their carpet squares and listen to me for several minutes without having to do something interactive. They now put their toys on the shelves, eat without spilling too much food on the floor. They are learning to say 'please' and 'thank you.'
It's so great to watch them learn. They are so curious about the world around them. They think everything is cool. They love everyone, even the kid who is mean sometimes. And most of all, they are at the peak of their playing years. Many a day, I will just sit and watch them in their centers. My favorite is to watch the imaginative roles that they take on. They will talk about marriage, drive their "cars", bake cookies for me (if only they were real cookies), get a sick person to the hospital, and all sorts of other things. It's so wonderful.
So tonight, I think my reflection is not really a year-end reflection. Too much has happened since January 1, 2004 for me to reflect on it all. This is more of a reflection of my time "on the carpet square." My kids are funny. My kids are learning. I must be doing something right, and that is good.
SOME OF MY FAMOUS KID STORIES FOR YOU
I teach the nativity in three parts. On the day I introduced baby Jesus, one of my students yells out "He looks like a turtle."
During yet another of the nativity lessons, one girl asked, "When do we get to see baby Jesus?" Talk about tough theological questions....and she's only four!
Our school had an all school Christmas program. My kids were to come in at the beginning, be the stars for one song, and then exit and return as angels at the end. How hard could that be? During the song of which we were featured, half of my students were watching the slide show being projected behind them. Five of the others were singing beautifully, while one pulled his arm up in his sweater and started swinging it around, knocking a bunch of kids in the head! Upon our return at the end, one of my precious little ones decided to lick some Christmas lights that were wrapped around a railing that he was standing next too. Yes, I know, he could have gotten electricuted! Then, at the very end, while the principal was talking, two of my other precious children, thought it would be really cool to launch themselves off of the stage, run back up the stairs, and launch themselves off again. I was across the room and could not get to them. They are lucky!
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1 comment:
Hello, Amanda. Congratulations on your blog. It is funny that we reflect somewhat arbitrarily one time a year. That is probably good for some, otherwise they might not reflect at all. Others of us, and I include myself in this class, are way too reflective and need to be less so.
Wow, your posts about your children make me tired just reading them. I have only watched over three children at a time and that was a chore and I had many more disciplinary tools at my disposal being their uncle and, most importantly, I could leave at the end of the eveningOh yeah, and there were only three. So, kudos to you and blessings on you as you manage chaos on the carpet square.
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