It went really well today. I must say that it is completely different from my last school. I feel like this year will be a breeze compared to last year. I had so many low students in my class last year; it felt like I was teaching fourth grade material to kindergartens, and I pretty much was. Last year, my students didn't even know how to write a sentence. Last year, one of my students didn't know the answer to 2+1. Last year, I had 8 out of 24 students in Special Ed. Last year, I had trouble communicating with several parents because they didn't speak English.
Not so this year. I can already tell. I just gave my students a "What I Did This Summer" page with a small amount of space to write a paragraph. Most of my students turned the paper over and kept writing. Last year, I would have gotten 1 sentence, if that. It would be like pulling teeth just to get them to do things. This year, even the 3 Special Ed students, got right to work and did good work too!
All those things are great, but I hope that I can get the same satisfaction I got last year. I feel like I got to see so much progress with my students last year. They only had up to go and I got to see them get there. It was emotionally taxing to hear and learn about the home lives and their stories, but it made me love them more. I could be the one adult in their lives that cared for them and loved them. I'm not saying I can't be the same teacher to these students; I just feel like I won't have as big of an impact. I'll just be another teacher they had in Elementary School.
I want to make a difference. That's why I chose this profession. I hope that I can make that difference here. I just might have to do it in a different way!
Sound like it's going to be a great year! I'm sure you will find as much joy as before, just in different ways.
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