This year was intense to say the least. I enjoy teaching, but even this year challenged that joy. I am not sure what was so exhausting about this year, but I am glad to see it end. Last summer, I taught six weeks of summer school while taking 12 credit hours of Masters coursework, writing three thesis papers and an action research project, all to graduate the Friday BEFORE I was to report back to work for the school year.
This many things on my plate and not having a "real" summer could have been the culprit, but this summer, all I am doing is teaching 8-12 Monday-Thursday for 6 weeks. I will have two nice trips to take as well. Here's hoping that the next school year will be lighter on the stress, and allow for the joy of teaching to be restored.
I am glad that I am teaching this summer because I was bored with only one week in, and I still have time to do what I want in the afternoons and on our three-day-weekends. :)
God is good, regardless of how I am feeling.
He knows just how to lift my spirits and let me know that I AM doing the right thing!
On the last day of school a few of my "old" students, who are eighth graders came by my room and in tears hugged me to tell me that I was the best English teacher they could have ever had, and where I hope that stays true, I am hoping they are blessed with AMAZING English teachers in high school.
There was a student that I did not have as a student, but had to deal with in ITS which is In Team Suspension, the step before an office referral for ISS (In School Suspension). This student came from another school in the district and had SEVERE attitudinal issues. Being that I am a fair but strict teacher, I get some of the harder ITS students to deal with (at least this is what the teachers that send them to me, tell me). So, this student spent something close to 10 days with me in ITS in the FIRST six weeks. That is CRAZY. In that time, we talked through the situation at school, about issues with certain teachers and we discussed how teachers are people, too, and we have bad days and crappy attitudes sometimes, too. I encouraged the student to respond differently to the teachers they had issues with and to sit and talk to them about the issues they had in class.
Finally, this student stopped coming to my class! I was ONLY a 7th grade teacher again! When I would see this student in the hallway, I would speak, and ask how everything was going. I would get random visits from this student throughout the school year, just to say hi! So, on the last day of school, while I am sitting in my class with my advisory (homeroom) kiddos, this student walks in and says, "Bye, Mrs. Clemens; thank you!" and I got the biggest hug EVER!
THIS IS WHY I TEACH!
This wasn't even one of my "roster" students and I touched her life!
Father, thank you for giving me the love, wisdom, and understanding to help you touch the lives of my goonies!
