My Days as a Teacher

Appreciation

2009-08-03T10:16:00.001-04:00

I mentioned, in this post (on my main blog), that "I actually don't like a lot of public acknowledgment. That became evident when I refused to go on stage to accept flowers a few weeks ago. ☺However, don't get that confused with appreciation."

This past school year (2008-2009), on Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day (which, by the way, is like none other; absolutely AMAZING!! Breakfast delivered to your door, catered luncheon, and this year, there were massages!!), I received this in my box, from a student I taught in 1st grade 3 years ago:

It's a little hard to read, so here's what it says:

Dear Mrs. Mitchell, Since it is teacher appreciation day I chose you to write a letter to because you are my favorite teacher. I really appreciate you because you are very nice and fun and you are a great teacher. If a 1st grade teacher isn't enough you became the web master. You can do so many great things and I think you should be appreciated. From, [name]

It's been hanging on my cork board in my office since April, and I'm making room now for all of the projects for the upcoming school year, but I couldn't totally discard this. It meant so much not only because of the content, but because it has definitely been a huge leap going from a faculty member to a staff member. For instance, as a staff member, you really aren't remembered during the holidays, and of course, you don't get the same vacation that teachers get. Nevertheless, I still love what I'm doing. Anyway, this is one of the things I definitely want to hang on to, along with the ones from this post. The last picture in this post, by the way, is from the same student who wrote this letter.

Perseverance

2009-07-21T11:54:00.002-04:00

I'll call this student "Etak". She was one of my absolute favorites. I can't really describe her in words. You just have to know her. My next few posts will be about her.

This particular year, the school's theme, chosen by the Sixth Grade class, was perseverance. One morning - first thing in the morning - Etak came to my desk and exclaimed that she had a playdate that afternoon. I replied, "Wow! That'll be fun!" Here's the rest of the conversation:

Etak: "Guess who it's with!"

Me: "I don't know."

Etak: "Guess!!!"

Me: "Um, [student's name]?"

Etak: "Nope"

Me: "[another student's name]?"

Etak: "Nope. Keep guessing."

Me: "I don't know, Etak. Just tell me."

Etak: "Keep guessing!"

Me: "Etak, you need to get started on your morning jobs, so just tell me. I can't guess. I give up."

Etak: "You're not following perseverance. Fine. You're giving up perseverance. The school's trying to make you do it, and you won't even do it, and you're a teacher."

Work

2009-01-14T08:44:00.002-05:00

This is actually not my own story. I got this in an email yesterday:

A Great Reason Always To Check Your Child's Homework

Note sent the next school day, with the 1st grader:

Dear Ms. Williams,
That's not a dance pole on a stage in a strip joint! I work at Home Depot. That's me selling a shovel.

Cathy's mother,
- Mrs. Smith

No Title Needed

2009-01-10T22:14:00.000-05:00

“Um, Mrs. Mitchell, should I get a paper towel for my bloody nose, because I just looked in the mirror and saw it."

Cute

2009-01-08T20:15:00.000-05:00

"There was a farmer kissed a dog and Bingo was his name-o..."

Seasons

2009-01-07T17:30:00.002-05:00

I was introducing the concept of writing a paragraph by asking students to tell me whether or not certain items belong in a category. Once they got the hang of that, I asked them to name items that belong in a category...

Me: Clothes worn in the summer

Student: Fall

Fountain of Youth

2009-01-06T09:59:00.001-05:00

Question in math book: How old were you 3 years ago?

Student's written answer: Six

Me: Ok. Let's look at this one. How old are you now?

Student: Six

Me: Then how old were you 3 years ago?

Student: Six

The Worst One

2008-12-10T08:43:00.001-05:00

This is a DIRECT quote from a student who was in 1st grade at the time:

“My mom has the worst husband she’s ever had, because he doesn’t do anything. She does all the work and he just sits around and relaxes."

Please keep in mind that this mother has only been married once.

Where Do I Go?

2008-12-09T16:17:00.001-05:00

Hank: "Do I go to the after-school program?"

Me: "I don't know."

Hank: "I go to the after-school program everyday."

Run That By Me Again

2008-12-08T09:14:00.003-05:00

Greg: Are we allowed to turn on the globe?

Me (to the group): Guys, I'm looking at the "To Do" list and it does not say, "Play with the globe". You need to be doing something on the list. You're way too loud.

Greg: So we can't play with the globe?

Reward

2008-12-05T14:41:00.002-05:00

In 1st grade, as a method of positive reinforcement, we had a "Tally Tree". The class would focus on one behavior and set a goal for the number of tallies. For example, they would aim to walk down the hall appropriately (walking, no loud talking, etc.). Each time they did so, they would get one tally mark on the tree. After they reached their goal (i.e., 30 tallies), they would receive a reward of their choice (popcorn party, extra recess, etc.), which was decided upon when the goal was set.

So after they reached one goal and earned their reward, we all sat down to talk about the next one...

Me: OK. Any ideas for what our next reward could be?

Evan: Go to Jumpin' Joes!

Me: No, we're not going anywhere. (Call on Fred)

Fred: Field trip!

Lost & Found

2008-12-04T08:39:00.001-05:00

Student: Mrs. Mitchell, I found this in my cubby.

Me: That's David's.

Student: He gave it to me?

Me: No, he probably just accidentally put it in there.

Student: So whose is it?

2008-12-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

Me: Number one says, "Make a tally for 12."

Student: Should we do that?

Just Give It Up!

2008-12-02T15:02:00.000-05:00

During the 2006-2007 school year (September, 2006), I was teaching 1st Grade, and we were studying a unit on American symbols. One of the things we discussed was the Constitution. One day, during this part of the unit, I split the students into 5 groups. Each group was responsible for agreeing on ONE "law" for our Class Constitution. I wanted to drive home the point that coming up with this document was no easy task, especially with so many people involved. These students only had 3 people - 4 maximum - to deal with in their groups.

One group in particular was having a REALLY hard time agreeing on a law. There were 4 students in this group, but only 3 who were quite vocal during this exchange. We'll call them Amy, Bob, and Claire.

Here's how that heated conversation went:

Amy (trying to be diplomatic): "So, Claire, you say the one you want and everyone will raise their hands, then Bob will say the one he wants and everyone will raise their hands..."

This went on for a while, with both Bob and Claire not budging, absolutely refusing to vote for anyone's idea but their own. Claire became more than just a little frustrated with everyone constantly shooting down her idea: "Treat others with respect", and Bob became increasingly frustrated with Claire.

Bob (to Claire, when the group didn't agree with her law): "Well, do you think when George W. Bush and John Kerry ran and George W. Bush won, that John Kerry was like, 'Aw, man, I didn't win. No one voted for me?' No! He just said, 'Oh well, I lost and that was it. So you're like John Kerry right now."

Claire (in response to Bob): "Well, that's different. He took care of a whole country. This is just for our classroom."