I had a wonderful day today with 5th graders. Tomorrow, kindergarten for part of the day, and then a couple partial days with 5th and 4th graders. Lucky doesn’t like it when I am gone, but he likes having me home for at least part of the day! I like getting paid…
It’s funny — when I am away from classrooms for a couple of days I start to wonder if I am any good at it, if I should even be there. I think perhaps if I just stayed home I would start to pick up the art and crafts that had the potential to make as much money as — and in my fantasy world a lot more than — teaching. I consider how much more use I would be around the house if I focused on my physical health (teaching is admittedly hard on me day-to-day, I come home physically exhausted and fighting viruses several times a month) and got the house and yard in better shape.
And then, when I step in the classroom… I have said it before, but it’s true: I am getting more and more comfortable with that discomfort of not knowing where things are or what is supposed to be happening. I find that I am getting pretty good at quickly identifying the kids who are off task, figuring out how to explain things, and back-filling. I am still working on things like finding where things are likely to be in the room; locating supplemental materials in advance of needing them; and, perhaps more importantly remembering all of the end-of-day rituals. I am starting to correct papers sometimes, and am giving occasional observational feedback to teachers in the notes I leave (so-n-so seemed confused, the kid in the back was reading a book during explanations…).
I am enjoying myself more and more, starting to differentiate better on the fly, and moving things ahead more efficiently in general. AND I am becoming more articulate about what is going on in the classrooms, now that I have some time to think about it. I have a lot of fun talking with other teachers nowadays.
Hope your week is going well, too!
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