Bittersweet

Today will forever be remembered as bittersweet. The last day of school is always filled with emotion and excitement, but this year, it really hurt.  This group of kids is special!  I have NEVER had a group like them, and it will be hard for any group to fill their shoes or match their awesomeness. 

It still has not hit that school is over, but seeing the kids dressed up today for the awards ceremony really made me reflect on how much they have grown with me this year.  They were such babies when they came to me in August, and now they are nearly grown.


This group has taught me more than I believe I will ever completely realize!  They have made me a better teacher, and the kids coming behind them will be forever bettered because of this group.

This year, I focused on GROWTH instead of passing or failing skills/objective/assignments.  This group of students came to me as 18 Dyslexic students, 26 Special Education students, 6 Limited English Proficient students (which is a lower number than normal), 6 complete turds (also a MUCH lower number than usual), and the rest "regular" education students.

My students came to me, almost all of them, regardless of their educational label, writing Zeros and Ones for their essay scores.  The essay scores are based on a holistic rubric ranging from 0-4.  Zero and One are failing scores, 2 is equivalent to about a 75, a 3 is about 85 and the lowest score one can get to be commended on the TAKS test, and 4 is the best paper, but, as I tell my students, there is no way to have a "perfect" paper so the highest grade is equal to a 95.  As for the perfect paper, I say they don't exist because their is ALWAYS a way to better it through revision and editing.

By the time my TAKS test came around on March 1st, my students were worn out from writing, and I was beginning to wonder if they had listened to anything I had taught and modeled from August to February 28.  We had to wait until May 23rd for our scores to be returned, and then it was the 24th before we could see their scores broken down, and I could see what grade they made on the grammar questions and what score they made on the essay.  They must PASS BOTH sections of my test in order to PASS the test. 

Many of my Dyslexic students and Special Education students did not pass the TAKS test, and they were distraught when they found out.  I was heartbroken to tell them.  BUT when I told them....I focused in on the GROWTH they have had this year.  They were asked to look back at their first essays of the year, and compare the early scores with the TAKS scores...ALL of them....ALL OF THEM....improved by 2 scores!!!!!!!  They came to me writing zeros and they wrote a 2 on the TAKS essay.  I cannot even begin to tell you how impressive an improvement this is for these children.

They finally bought the goods I was selling and began to be excited for their accomplishments this year.

ONE of my severely dyslexic students was writing zeros when he came to me, this year.  On TAKS day, he stayed until he was done which was 6:30p.m.  The next day, he came to me and said that he looked up EVERY word that he wrote, to make sure that it was spelled correctly, so the essay graders would be able to read his essay without struggling.  My heart broke!  I was so worried.  I stopped right then and there and prayed that God would allow him to pass.  Silly prayer?  Maybe....but IT WORKED, as well as my teaching and his learning.  HE PASSED!!!  Not only did he pass, but he was COMMENDED!!!!!!! I cried when I saw his score, and I am NOT a crier.  When he heard that he passed and was commended, he thought that I was joking.  He didn't even think he was capable of passing, and this broke my heart all over again.  I thought, "What did I do wrong this year?  He has NO confidence in his abilities." BUT when he realized that I was serious, he up so high I believe he could have touched the hallway ceiling, and then lunged toward me in a full-on frontal hug....we do not give front hugs!  But he was just so happy.....he teared up and had to call his mom and dad to tell them the news. 

The irony in his story, is that, the ONE word that he COULD NOT find in the dictionary was dyslexia and he was writing about the challenging of learning with the challenge of dyslexia!   He said I was looking in the DIs and then the DEs and he couldn't find it, SO he asked his dad when he got in the car after turning in his test, and his dad helped him see that is was spelled DYslexia....he laughed and laughed about that.....

After looking at ALL the scores and improvements overall, I got even happier.  This year, as challenging as it was, was SPECTACULAR!  My kiddos DID listen and learn from what I taught, and growth and learning took place! 

I could not be a more proud mama!  Without this group I would not have found all of the wonderful ways to teach Writing to ANY learner, ANY seventh grader, ANY "labeled" or not labeled child.  I cannot wait to see what next year brings. 

I wish the best of luck to my sweet lovelies!  I miss you all already!  Good Luck in 8th grade!

~Mrs. ABC