What a roller coaster of a week. There have been so many tragedies this week, what with the Boston Marathon bombing and a few people who have gone missing in the last few days. Scary times.
Luckily, I laughed a lot this week. I actually find this pretty ironic since this week was actually very boring as far as lesson plans and assignments go. We are currently preparing for the end of year testing, and this means we have a lot of boring reviews and practices. But, amidst all the annoyed students and national tragedies, I found plenty of things to bring a smile to my face.
First of all, it's amusing to hear what students think of you as a teach. As I passed out another review worksheet, one student commented, "Sheesh, teachers have it easy. All they do is make worksheets and then watch other people do them." HAHAHA. So that's what I've been doing with all those early and late hours at school...just making worksheets, eh?
Then we have the kids who are falling asleep in my class because they can't seem to practice self discipline at home and go to bed early. When I saw one of my students at the back of the class obviously asleep, I told another student to smack him awake. He lifted his head and I saw that the whole left side of his face was bright red and dented with imprints of his jacket. I had to work really hard to keep in my laughter. He just looked so out of it, and I felt his pain. By that time of day, I just want a nap too!
And then of course there are funny/cute things that I see on students' assignments. Every week I give them an article to read and answer questions. During this, I have also taught them how to anotate a text (and can I just brag for a second? They are doing so so so well at annotating! They really get it! At the beginning, I think they were confused why anyone would write their comments, questions, and connections in the margins, but now they are actually writing thoughtful things and coming to really good conclusions. I love it!). Anyway, so this article talks about tips some of the most successful college students suggest. On the section entitled "Pursue passion, not A's", one hard-working-straight-A student wrote, "My whole life is a lie!" I laughed.
On another paper, I found a very sweet note from a student. What a perfect way to bring a smile. I think this is one of the perks of teaching junior high. Do you honestly think I would get notes like this from high schoolers? Here it is.
Then there are always those annoying, talkative, happiness-sucking classes that just turn me into a Disney witch. Yeah, I told my 5th and 6th period classes at the beginning of the week that they were on probation. If they got 5 tallies in the week, they would have to do "Behavior Bootcamp" (what I did with my 7th and 8th period class last semester). The kids who experienced Behavior Bootcamp from before urgently told the other students that they DID NOT want to experience it. I also arranged with them a reward system. If they get 10 positive points, they get to watch a movie (yes, I plan to strategically time that movie to be the last week of school). The best day was Thursday. Students started filing into the classroom. Some students decided to take an active role in reminding their peers to be quiet; they would shush the people walking in the door and then tell them to start working. I was so please to see them all come in, start the bell work quietly and on their own, and continue being attentive as I called out for people to share what they had written. Honestly, it was such a simple pleasure, but it was exactly what I needed for the day. They were working so hard to impress me. I realized that it is important to find the right type of motivation for each class. Finally I have found it for this period! :)
And lastly there is the ever-crazy, ever-worrisom job search. I wont go into all the craziness, but I am happy to report that I have two job interviews lined up for next Wednesday. I can only hope and pray for the best. Surprisingly, I am confident that everything really will turn out fine and that I should just be myself. While I am far from a perfect teacher, I feel like I have worked really had this year to be a good, fun, effective teacher. And I think, for the most part, that I have succeeded in that endeavor. It is so wonderful to have so many friends and family rooting for me and helping me along the way. Thank you!
