TGIF

I used to wonder why the first day of school had to fall on a Wednesday or a Thursday. Why begin in the middle of the week? I always thought that the transition back to school would be easier if done on a Monday with the rest of the week to adjust. But after only three days of school, I'm just so happy that the weekend is here! Like I've mentioned, I've had to reconnect myself to the classroom environment and although the first day was rough, it has gradually gotten easier with each passing day. Let's just forget the little fact that we haven't even started on any real work yet! Oh boy...something to look forward to on Monday. But just a quick update of today, the kids seemed to be cooperating much better. I did have to give a handful of kids a timeout already, but it's because they totally deserved it. This girl got caught eating some candy in line after lunch. Since we were still in the Cafe, I told her to either swallow it or throw it out. I didn't get upset...I just reminded her that when the 2nd bell rings, they should be lined up and ready to go. We got back to the classroom where they proceeded to change into their PE uniform, had DEAR time, and continued with our show and tell. Approximately 40 minutes had passed since lunch when a student said, "She's still eating after you said not to!" Ha...sometimes tattletales are such good informers! Turned out that she was still popping some candy during class...how I didn't see her doing it (she sits in the front row!) is beyond me! Man...my "sensors" must be down...

Why I Became A Teacher

After school, the 3rd grade teachers decided to have a field trip to the middle school site, which is only a few blocks away from where we are, to visit some teacher friends. I've only been to this site a total of 2-3 times and man, it's nice! Sure it's an old building, but the freedom that the teachers and students have is refreshing. As we wandered along the hallways, I immediately began seeing familiar faces of my former students! My goodness how they have grown! Since I have been away for two years, my old kids are now in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. I saw a handful of 8th graders who were from my 1st year class and if you're a teacher, you know that your first class will always always always be special to you. I saw them and it was so nice that they remembered me! I got a lot of questions of how come I don't teach here anymore and I explained how I had moved to MN. When we were visiting in one of the classrooms, I heard a voice, "Is that Miss MnM?" and when I turned around, it was a boy from my first class. Now this kid is pretty special because although he got into lots of trouble, I really felt for him because his parents were so busy with the business that they were running. Plus, the mother had just had a baby and as a result, he was not getting the much needed attention that he needed. He had a short temper and I believed that he acted out because he wanted the attention, whether good or bad. All in all, he was a good kid and by the end of the year, I had helped him control his angry outbursts. Anyways, I walk over to him and the first thing he did was raise his hands in the air and said, "I made it to 8th grade!" It was enough to bring tears to my eyes! Good for him! Although I never doubted his abilities, I always wondered how he fared after 3rd grade simply because of the possibility of digressing. But he said it so enthusiastically with this big ass smile on his face that it gave me the warmest feeling inside! Wow....after roughing the first day of school and even questioning whether teaching is still for me, this moment right here, that 3 minute conversation I had with this one student, that one remark and the look on his face reminded me of why I became a teacher in the first place.... I've always heard that with younger students, you really don't see the fruits of your labor immediately. Sure you witness them doing tasks and learning skills, but it's not until much later that you see where your hard work went. Although it was not a blatent "Thank You!," and although he has reached 8th grade because of many other teachers before and after me, it made me proud to have been a part of that group. I feel that I made a difference in this kid's life and even if he was the only one, it been all worth the effort.

My first class graduates this year and I am looking forward to attending the graduation. Coincidentally, when they were in 3rd grade, I had them make a mini-time capsule. I had them write a letter to themselves and put a few items into an envelope. For five years, I have kept them just as I promised and I told them that these would be returned to them before their 8th grade grad. I honestly thought that the kids would've forgotten about them, but the same one student asked if I still had them. Wow...he still remembered! I told him that yes, he would be getting it back this year and he genuinely looked excited. This is a moment that I will always remember...and treasure. As far as the graduations, I plan on attending this year's and the next two after that. I believe that it would take me full circle in my teaching career thus far....and plus, I wouldn't miss it for the world.