Do You Believe in Miracles?

One of the most memorable events from this week was reading the daily journals my students write. Each day, I have a journal prompt on the board. They do not have to write from the prompt, but it is there for those students who may need an idea of something to write about. At night, I take home four journals and so does my Cooperating Teacher. We respond back to the students' journals and return them in the morning. On Thursday, I gave the students the following prompt: "If you could perform a miracle what would it be and how would it help others?"

That night I forgot to read their journals. Naturally, I would remember right as my head hit the pillow in efforts to fall asleep for the night. So, I drudged out of bed, grabbed the pile, and began reading. As you can imagine, I was not exactly enthusiastic about reading the journals on this particular night. I opened the first journal to find this entry: "If I could perform a miracle, I would make Miss Nebbia stay and teach me for the rest of my school years. It would help her keep her job." That journal entry melted my heart! That's what teaching is all about.

This week I taught the entire day. My Cooperating Teacher was M.I.A most of the time. She would peek her head in and out but never stayed around for too long. To be honest, I liked that time to really have the students to myself, as if they were my real class.

I love my kids but they are a very chatty group. Instead of fighting it, I try to find time twice a day for them to talk. One thing we do is called "Yeahs and Yucks." Quickly, we go around the room and the kids say either one good thing that happened to them today or one bad thing. Another way I encourage socialization without disrupting instruction is to set the timer and let them talk to their neighbors each morning for a few minutes. I am queen of the timer... I use it for everything. It is the only way to help me manage my time effectivelty.
The "Yeahs and Yucks" and "Talk Time" seem to help but they are not a total quick fix. I resorted to having a class meeting and creating some "Class Expectations." It amazes me how much these must be reviewed in order for them to be effective. We probably read the list at least three times a day for reinforcement. The expectations include everything from "using kind words" to "keeping personal belongings (silly bands and accessories) on our bodies."


The kids have been teasing me that I "smile too much." A few of them have said, we can't imagine you getting MAD. You don't yell and you are always in a good mood! I am not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. In my mind, you can never be too smiley. My favorite elementary teachers (you know who you are... *throat clear* Miss Koch and Miss Martin) were always happy and smiling. That's what I remember most about them. Oh and things like reading the Rainbow Fish and getting Lemon Drops and Lemon Heads! Or the time when Nicole and I wrote an anonymous note to our third grade teacher asking if we could sit next to each other when she made the next seating arrangement. Low and behold, the next day our desks were side by side! Obviously, I could continue with my elementary stories. My teachers had such an impact on my life, which is probably why I see them as role models and hope to make that sort of impact on my future students. ... I digress. Back to the point. Although these teachers were loving, friendly, and kind they still had respect and focused on academics. As a teacher, you can demand respect without using put downs or making the students feel inferior. That is the type of teacher I hope to be!

Teaching Lesson from Week 6: "YOUR WORK IS NEVER DONE. IT BECOMES HARDER AND HARDER TO SEPARATE YOUR PERSONAL LIFE FROM YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE. SCHOOL COMES HOME WITH YOU EVERY DAY. I FIND MYSELF THINKING ABOUT MY STUDENTS ALL OF THE TIME!"