Best Time of the Year!

This is my favorite time of year, teaching first grade. The students understand my rules and expectations, so I can relax a little more and have more fun with them. Also, they are much more independent and mature so rapidly during the next couple of months. At the beginning of first grade, they are so needy and can barely read anything on their own. By this time, most of my students are not only able to read, but enjoy picking out new books to read on their own.

This year, I still have a fair number of students who are really struggling to read at the level that is expected of them. It's heart breaking to see them trying their best, but just not making enough progress. I'm trying as many strategies as I can and trying to make it fun in the process, but it's so frustrating to see them keep failing.

This past week, I held parent conferences and went over the latest report card. For most parents, I had good news and just a short list of things that they needed to work on with their child, but I also had to tell some parents that their child isn't making enough progress to go on to the next grade level. It's hard to break the news, but I try to let them down as easy as possible and stress that it really will be best for the child. And ultimately, the decision is up to the parents. I just see some students struggling in my class and don't want them to lose the little bit of confidence that they have if they get pushed on to a much more challenging grade level. I'm trying to spend more time with these students in small groups, but one teacher can only do so much with a classroom of 20 busy students.

And that brings me to the unfortunate part of this year, when teachers are unsure if they'll have a job next year. Each day is a different story, but this year it just seems far worse than it's been in the past three years. I, most likely, will go back to substitute teaching in a different class each day, never knowing where I'll be or if I'll even have work every day. It's so frustrating to want to do something so badly, but not be able to do it full-time or be making any progress. No pay raises for substitute teachers and I'm not building any seniority, so when teachers are hired back I'm still at the bottom of the list. At least I'm gaining experience and meeting new people and in some ways, I'm still making a difference.

 Instead of focusing on the changes that will come after June, I will enjoy the next three months with my students and give them the educational experience that they, and all other students, deserve.

Busy as a Bee!

The year is suddenly passing by so quickly, yet there is still so much to do.
We went our first and only field trip of the year last week. The kids had been so excited for weeks and I think that it met their expectations. In fact, a few students, this week, were telling me that they already miss the zoo. The weather was perfect, we didn't lose any students, and we saw almost all of the animals. I wish that we could have more field trips because the kids seemed to have so much fun and it brought our class even closer together, but blame it on the lack of money.
Speaking of which, it has been a bad couple of days for many teachers in my district. Pink slips were mailed out and teachers who have been teaching up to 9 years may lose their job. In any other business this just wouldn't happen. 9 years at one job is a long time and it's crazy to think that teachers aren't being recognized for their dedication, loyalty, and hard work.
In my grade level, this year, we have really been struggling with getting the students to read at the expected level. We are doing everything we can to work with them in small groups and creating lessons that push them to the expected level. It saddens me that we can't celebrate the little successes that our students are making. Yes, they are expected to read a certain number of words per minute, but if they came into first grade reading just 5 and now they are reading 15, that is an improvement.
Parent conferences are coming up in a couple of weeks and it's going to be difficult to tell some parents that their child is making progress, but it just isn't enough. I like to keep things positive and motivating, but there are just some students where retention is my best recommendation. And it's up to the parents to make that decision and hopefully they'll do what is right for their child. I just hate to see students moving on who are already struggling. The extra year can make such a difference, especially when it's first grade.
On to more positive news. My students are really surprising me. This is the time of year where light bulbs suddenly go off and they mature both physically and academically. All the things that I've been telling them since the beginning of the year are finally starting to sink in. For example, I rarely have to raise my voice anymore because other students do it for me. They try to quiet the class when other students are talking or they shout out that the teacher is talking and that everyone should listen. I really have a great group of students this year as far as behavior. The boys are learning to be gentlemen. I give each student hand sanitizer before lunch each day and I always call two students at a time. The boys have learned to let the girls go first. It started out with one or two boys and now it's about 50% of the boys who say, "ladies first." It's so cute!
Also, I've been pushing students to tell me why they think something is true in a story or, in math, how they got their answer. Most of the students can give reasons and the students who can't learn through what their peers are saying. Somehow they seem to listen better when another student is talking and I guess they are speaking at the same level.
Parent conferences, report cards, open house, and then before you know it, school is out. The stress levels are high right now, but hopefully I'm providing a good learning experience for my students. And this week, I'm doing something right because the students are telling me that I'm a great teacher this week. Not sure what I'm doing differently, but it's nice to know that I'm appreciated.

A Year in Review

As you may have imagined, it was a busy year and an even busier holiday season. I don't remember it being so crazy the first year that I taught, but maybe every year is different.
I'm two weeks into my vacation and so thankful that I have another one left. Time to start thinking about work again and getting ready to go back.
Before the break started, I told my class that my Christmas Wish was for them to become readers, so hopefully Santa delivered!
I don't usually do New Years resolutions, but there are a few goals that I'd like to accomplish during the second half of the school year: 1) I want to push my students even harder 2) I want to be more strict and 3) I want them to be stronger readers. Plus, I want to post blogs more often.

I thought that it would be fun to list some of my favorite things, in no particular order, that have happened since school started in September:

• Welcoming my class on the first day and having one student shout out that he was so excited and that he loves school. (He has continued to be an enthusiastic student)
• Dressing up for Halloween and seeing the kids get so excited about every costume that they saw.
• Learning about Thanksgiving through a poem that the students memorized (which has inspired me to find more poems for the students to learn)
• Watching the students create their own work space in the classroom library. One by one they moved their chairs next to the shelves and quietly worked. 
• Practicing for the Holiday Program was not my favorite part of the year, but watching the final result was worth all the headaches and stress.

As much as I enjoy the time off, I'm looking forward to seeing my students again!

This might be a long one...

Everyday there is something that I am anxious to write about and most days I am just too tired to turn on the computer when I get home. There are definitely a few topics that I want to touch on, though.

First, I am having an internal struggle with spelling tests this year. I have about six kids that consistently get 100% on the spelling test each week and then there are about 7 that fail the spelling test and the other students come pretty close to passing, missing two or three (out of 8). Part of me wants to make the spelling tests easier to boost their confidence, but the other part of me knows that these words should be easy for them and that I should continue to keep the bar high. All in all, I've decided to proceed with the spelling tests as they are. These are first grade sight/high frequency words and they are words that we see often each week. Also, the students that don't do well are students that don't have help at home and making the words easier, unfortunately, won't help them to pass. I've noticed three students who are definitely improving and trying harder and harder each week and this proves that they are capable and aren't ready to give up just yet. But it's so hard to see the same students do well and the same students not do very well.

Halloween is quickly approaching and my students have been talking about it for over a month. I finally told them a few weeks ago that if they kept talking about it, we wouldn't celebrate it. That totally worked and last week a student stated that we could probably start talking about Halloween on the 28th. I just love that he picked a random date close to Halloween. I've put up fake spider webs in the class, that were bare all week, but will be covered in spiders when the kids walk in tomorrow morning.

We've been having a great time with a plastic rat that squeaks. Each morning he appears in a different student's desk. I love that something so simple makes the students so happy. He brings on great conversation too; some students know that he is fake while others wonder how he gets around in the room. I told them on Friday that it's like Toy Story, where he comes to life when we are gone and they seemed to buy it. Being a first grade teacher sure keeps me young and gets my imagination working all the time.

Lately, I have two students who have been getting on my nerves. I swear that once I work out my issues with one student, another student starts to fall apart. One student is the epitome of a perfectionist. His parents must have high expectations for him, but I also think that a lot of it is just his personality. On Thursday we take our practice spelling test. On this Thursday for some particular reason "the perfectionist" started crying, I mean really breaking down. He gets 100% every week on Thursday and I didn't understand why this group of words was any different. I ignored the sobs for a little while, but I could tell that it was bothering some of my students who were worrying about him, so I told him to take a deep breath and that if he stressed out so much it would be hard for his brain to think. Well that didn't work and the sobs got worse and worse and eventually I told him to stop or step outside and take a break. As I graded the tests later that day, I almost wished that he had done poorly to prove that stressing out makes it worse but, of course, this kid got 100%. Maybe he was having a bad day or something else was bothering him because when we took a math test the next day, he told me that he was just going to try his best.
Another student is very "busy." He can't sit still and he never stops talking even when no one is listening or he is by himself. I try to tune him out, but sometimes it even distracts me. During a math lesson last week a student pointed out that he was just playing instead of listening to the lesson. I had had it with stopping my lesson and trying to get him back on track day after day, so I explained to some of the students that it wasn't fair for him to get all my attention because he was goofing off when 20 other students could get my attention and learn. They seemed to buy it, but I'm not sure if they fully understood what I was talking about. Yes, all students should be listening, but sometimes that's next to impossible, so if I can have 19 to 20 out of 21 on task, I consider it a success.

On that note, one of my lowest students has started to come alive. He still doesn't know the sounds of all the letters, but his spirit is alive. He is more alert, pays attention more often, and is definitely trying. A few weeks ago, I wanted to throw my hands up and say that he was a lost cause, but I'm glad that I didn't because every child deserves a chance, even if they're parents don't help them out at home or if they are so low that it seems impossible to get them to where the state believes they should be. As a teacher, I want kids to get smarter, but I also want them to value school and to have fun.

I saw "Waiting for Superman" last night and really appreciated it. So well done and I agreed with the movie on so many levels. It definitely will bring about some tough conversations, which will hopefully be the starting point to making a change in our education system.

In the Groove...

I've been needing and wanting to blog for the past couple of weeks, but the days and weeks are passing so quickly.

My class is doing well and we are definitely finding a routine that works for all of us. My "busy" students are relaxing a little bit and it's helped to move them around, trying out different seating arrangements. I'm hoping that I can keep the seating chart the way it is for at least another month!
I hate to admit it, but there are already students who are my "favorites" and those that are already annoying me. But I am aware of my differing feelings and do my best to treat them all equally. One student irritates me because she is always worrying about someone or something other than what I am talking about. I constantly have to redirect her or take things away that are distracting her. Academically, she is pretty much where she should be, but I can see her behavior hindering her and maybe that's where my frustration comes in. Basically, whenever I feel annoyed with her, I think about her home life and realize that she has so many other things to worry about and can't just shut her mind off and focus. And when she is having a great day, I let her know.
Being a teacher is definitely about finding a balance in the classroom and within yourself. Imagine being poked by someone for 6 hours everyday and not being able to lose your cool! I think teaching has taught me to express myself more easily and to tell people what bothers me, but also complimenting people has become so much easier. I tell my students at least a couple times during the day that they are a great class, not because I am bribing them, but because they really are and this carries into my personal life. I more easily tell friends and family what I like about them or if I like what they are wearing.

My class is a mixture of all different ability levels and I have about 4 overachievers. One is very competitive with others and with himself. And yesterday, after lunch, as I was reading a story and settling the class down after recess, "O" raised his hand and asked when we were going to get back to "the work." This sort of annoyed me because I wanted the children to get a break from the monotony of the day and just relax and here was the student wanting to work, work, work. I appreciate his tenacity, but I also want him to take a breather sometimes. However, I have no doubts that this student will go far in life, no matter what stands in his way.

Tomorrow is picture day. I told the students to look nice, so now the question is, "What do I wear?"...

Kids say the Darndest Things

I am really enjoying my class; although, the exhaustion is setting in. Keeping up with 22 first graders is difficult, especially at this time of year. I love all their little personalities and it's funny how I can almost get a glimpse of the people they will be when they grow up. This year, I have a lot of helpers and I mean that in a really good way. I was having trouble with a student playing in the bathroom. He was our bathroom buddy, but wasn't doing the best job, so I fired him and explained to the class that it was important to do a good job and that I needed to trust them. The boy didn't seem to phased by the loss of the job, and the student who replaced him was so excited that he kept asking if he would still have the job the next day. I love the enthusiasm. Anyway, back to my helpers. One boy had noticed that "A" kept playing in the bathroom, so he offered to watch him and to make sure that he didn't play. This student reported back to me at the end of every recess today to tell me that "A" didn't play. This is not something that I taught, but I think that the students can tell that I want them to help each other and of course they get lots of praise from me when they do something nice.

The funniest thing that I heard today was a conversation that took place after reading the poem, "Hey Diddle, Diddle." We were talking about the illustrations and one student asked why the cow had a space suit on. I briefly talked about how there isn't any air in space and that without air, we would die. All of a sudden I hear, "like Michael Jackson" and then another student says, "No, he got too many drugs," while another said, "No, he had a heart attack." I wanted to laugh, but I was also amazed that 6 year-olds were having such an adult conversation. And it's not like that's a recent news story. I just love what goes on in their heads and what they choose to share with the class.

The week is going by quickly, which is a good thing. I spent most of Friday, Monday, and Tuesday giving CELDT tests, which were not measuring language ability AT ALL!!! It took about 45 minutes to administer the test to each student and I had 11 to give. So, most of my class got busy work, while I focused on giving the test one-on-one. And what is more frustrating is that the test is meant to find out the English proficiency of Spanish speaking students, but asks students, who have not learned to read or write, to do just that. I wish that I could have taken a picture of the looks that some of the students gave me when I asked them to write their answers. They did the best that they could, but, in my opinion, it was a total waste of instruction time. One student even asked when we would go back to our regular routine (the one we only had for 4 days)!
Well, it was back to business as usual and they fell back into it much easier than I had anticipated.

School is back in session!

Today was the first day of school and I couldn't be happier with the way that it went.

My busy weekend helped to keep the nerves away until last night. I felt exhausted, but the second my head hit the pillow, my mind started wandering. I went through my to-do list in my head, I wondered what the kids would be like, I thought about old students, and I went through my schedule over and over again. And when my alarm went off, I struggled to get out of bed, but...

...the day couldn't have gone better. My roster had 19 students listed (a great number as far as I'm concerned) and just two joined us later in the morning bringing the count to 21. Most of my students were quiet and reserved, as was I (minus the good mornings and hellos). One or two seemed on the verge of crying, but never fully broke down, which was good.

They did a great job walking into the classroom, anxiously wanting to check out their desks and the classroom. I kept remarking on what a good job they were doing, encouraging the listening and following of directions. A parent dropped off their student late (coincidentally the younger sister of a former student) and remarked that I really knew what I was doing since all the students were in order and remained quiet as I answered her questions.

The day continued much in the same way as the morning. A few students started to test me, but I immediately put them in check, just being sharp and sending them to their desks. Their behavior improved and I thanked them for that.

There's not much academics on the first day, mostly rules and procedures, but the little that we did showed me that this group is very capable. One student has a lot of enthusiasm and made great comments throughout the day. He commented that everything was EXCELLENT and at the end of the day, he told me that he was going to miss me when he went home. He definitely won me over already. :)

I'm also happy to have a former student, who was retained, in my class again. While he does a lot of talking, it's nice to have a familiar face and a student that I know I can rely on.

I'm really excited about this group, I just hope that they remain as respectful as they were today, with me and with their peers.