Some of you have asked about the reading series I use in my school. Right now, all grades use Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt Reading (?) series. I really can't remember the name of the series. It's a few years old and it comes in two anthologies, complete with a workbook that goes with each anthology. Second grade has orange books; the first has a fox carrying a sack on the cover while the second has some sort of tree house on it. There are six units: Silly Stories, Nature Walk, Around Town: Neighborhood and Community, Amazing Animals, Families, and Talent Show. Come fall, grades 3-5 will have a new series called "Journeys." Grades 1-2 will be phased in the following year.
On a different note, there has been a lot of press about the teacher in Pennsylvania who is on suspension for opinions expressed about students on her blog. What are your opinions on that? I have tried to read some of the content online, but I can't locate any. I think there are some snippets on Facebook, but I don't have a Facebook account. (I know, I am in the Dark Ages, but not too ruffled by that fact. I'd rather send you an e-mail or call you anyway.) Anyhow, I did read some quotes in some of the daily online papers, and I'm just wondering where the boundaries are. I mean, on one hand, those are her opinions, and while she didn't name specific students, the frustration is there. On the other hand, I'm not sure I would have been so (fill in the blank here) while posting, knowing that there is always that possibility of being called on what you've written. Yet and still, there is some understanding of what she was saying, especially if you are someone who works with children. Think about it: How many students have you come across in your years that you had a hard time reaching? Those students who had potential but seemed to fight you tooth and nail when you tried to get him/her to exhibit said potential? You know what I mean: indifference, attitude, poor effort, not wanting to look "uncool" in front of peers. And sometimes you see those same students two years later and they are on yearbook committee or tutoring younger ones, or helping in classrooms after school and you wonder what happened. And then there are situations where the child has more on his/her mind than what you are trying to teach them that day. Family situations, hunger, abuse, homelessness, language/cultural barriers, neglect, etc. all have an effect.
Not to be all doom and gloom, but the other side of the coin is that you also have students who are excited to be in your room and soak up all of the glorious pearls of information and wisdom you can throw at them. (Okay, maybe the visual was a bit much, but you understand what I mean.) I think it comes down to the environment you create in your room, and the family situation at home. I have had students whose families were struggling to make it day by day, and it showed in their academic performance. They were just preoccupied with "other stuff," and while I tried my best to engage them past a few lessons a week, there were still times I couldn't reach them at all. Others in the same situation came in ready to be sponges.
With that said, there was a comment on one of the news stories that said something along the lines of "Teachers have to give students the inspiration to learn in the classroom." I agree, to a point. Sometimes you can juggle and stand on your head, but the inspiration may not come. Effort needs to come from the students, too. Education is not a "you-sit-and-listen-and-work-and-learn" exchange. Education is a give and take between teacher and student. It's a conversation between (mainly) teacher and student (and parent/guardian--if you are fortunate to have parents/guardians who will communicate with you. Not that parents don't care, but sometimes it's hard to get involvement because of jobs and other obligations.). I don't "give" my students inspiration, necessarily. I present them with ideas and let them form their own conclusions.
I've also been teaching long enough to know that I may not always reach every child; sometimes I'm just laying the foundation for another teacher to build on, and that's okay with me--now. As my husband used to tell me in my first two years of teaching, "You can't save every student. You'll have a nervous breakdown in the process." That doesn't mean I slack off in my daily teaching; far from it. But I've come to realize that I am not the savior of all things education. (Although sometimes secretly I wish I could don a cape and be just that.) I do what I can do--one day, one lesson, one student at a time.
Does that mean that I don't have frustrating days made up of frustrating moments? That I don't obsess over whether or not Johnny is reading near/on grade level or that Sally's math prowess isn't where it should be? That I don't worry every time I need to meet with a parent to discuss possible special education services for their child? That I don't sometimes want to scream because I've gone over the same skill 15 times and no one seems to get it no matter how I present it? That I don't fret every time report cards come around because I'm not sure how a parent will react to what I've put on the paper? That I'm not concerned when I have students with special needs in my class and stress about whether I'm meeting their goals and needs?
Not at all. That means I'm a teacher. It's what we do--even if we feel like beating our heads against the wall some days.
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