From a nearly two-year hiatus, I decided to get back in and add some words. I know you've missed me...
My last post was in December 2013, which is when I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from Utah State University. The week after I finished college was a busy one for me, with many interviews at schools in the Canyons and Granite School Districts in the Salt Lake City, Utah, area. On December 16, I accepted a fifth-grade teaching position at a Title 1 school near West Valley, known for being one of the poorest areas in Utah, with the highest rate of gang-related drugs and violence.
My decision to accept that job was one of the best I ever made, and it has also lead to one of the most difficult yet rewarding experiences of my entire life.
If you don't know anything about Title 1, it is meant to close the achievement gap and is a title given to schools in which at least 40% of the school population lives under the poverty line. This means that schools receive a little extra funding-- it also means that children often come to school with no breakfast, no coat, and from homes where there is little to no structure, discipline, or attention.
(Keep in mind that this is a blanket statement-- I have met some absolutely fantastic parents who are involved in their child's education and strive to provide them with everything they need. However, in general and no matter the good intentions a lot of these parents may have for their children, they themselves often lack the skills necessary to provide what their children need to be able to learn.)
How do you teach some of these children? The one who comes 20 or more minutes late most days? The one who doesn't come to school some days just because his 28-year-old brother said that he "didn't have to"? The one who constantly has a headache or is tired, so he can't focus on learning? The one who doesn't even care about what we're doing in class because she can only focus on the bully who teases her for being autistic and having a stutter? That same bully, who just wants some positive attention because he doesn't get any at home, so he acts out?
In the two and a half years that I have taught there, one truth always rises to the top.
A positive attitude always wins.
Will it still be hard? Will some students still not want to cooperate with you? Will you still go home some days feeling as sick as a dog and wanting to quit?
Yes. Oh, believe me, yes.
The difference is that it won't be hard every day. Most days, most students will want to cooperate with you. And most days, you will go home feeling like you made a difference. A positive attitude towards my job, my students, and myself leads to more job satisfaction than a negative one.
When I remember that I am a force for good, I can take each day as an opportunity to build my students up. When I remember that their brains are, in fact, still developing, it helps me to realize that I can be a good role model so they can learn how to behave correctly. When I remember that they, like me, just want to be happy, I can do my best to help them achieve that.
In recent years, legislation has made a teacher's job a whole lot harder and more complicated than it needs to be (which a topic for another day), but I can still remember that, after all is said and done and my students leave my classroom for the last time, I have the power to be a force for good.
In the end, it will matter more that I was kind to the student who was bullied than that she passed her SAGE Language Arts test.
It will matter more that I helped the bully to find happiness than that he increased his fluency on DIBELS.
It will matter that I was a positive influence on them, and that they felt inspired to become better people by knowing me.
So get out there, teachers, and remember to be positive!
_________________________________________________________________________________
I have a confession to make:
I don't like attending PLC meetings.
I have an aversion to them, as it were. Usually, I'm the one who tries hard to listen for the first five minutes, then zones out thinking about dinner. However, last Friday, I attended a PLC ( That's Professional Learning Community, for those who don't know.) meeting that actually inspired me. The presenter was Scott Hunsaker, who taught one of my classes here at Utah State University, and he spoke about gifted and talented education.
This subject has always struck a chord with me for some reason. I would rather work with the gifted and talented kids than those with special needs. That may sound strange of me to say, but it's true. I never really had the desire to study Special Education, although I celebrate the differences in the classroom, including students with special needs as well as those who choose the noble path of working with these individuals. I love being able to accommodate them in the class, and I love when they are made to truly feel part of the group.
But here is why I love studying gifted and talented education:
I believe that almost all individuals are gifted in some way or another, and there are many ways in which one can be gifted. This is what Scott Hunsaker spoke about. He said that we have the job of bringing out the gift in the form or expression of a talent. I whole-heartedly agree. I'm a teacher. I'm a leader. I'm a facilitator of human growth. I must assume that everyone comes to me with innate, God-given gifts, and as an educator, it is my job to give them opportunities that illicit the characteristics of these gifts. I guess I like this theory because it rings true to something inside me that always strives to look for the best in people.
My job is the most exciting one! I get to meet so many different types of kids and help them to learn and grow. I get to help them figure out what their passions are, and motivate them to go after their dreams. I can't wait to get started!
No comments:
Post a Comment