A Kindergarten Welcome into High School

I went through a Mommy first this week.  I became a Mom to a kindergartner and I dropped my son off for the first time.  I must say, having a child start kindergarten is an experience like no other.  As a working mom, my kids have been going to daycare since they were babies, but there was something about kindergarten that made it different.  Something about the finality of it all, as he officially passed from the realm of a child into that of a big kid.  And I certainly wasn’t alone in my feelings. I watched as the other kindergarten moms (and dads) tried to hide the tears in their eyes.  I saw those precious last few moments of hugs and well wishes and encouragement. I was a bystander to the spur of the moment therapy group going on in the parking lot, as the moms reassured one another that it would all be okay, that their kids were in good hands.

 And you know what? Every single mom agreed.  My son is lucky enough to get an amazing kindergarten teacher who simply oozes love for children.  I have only known this woman for two days, but in just two days, this is overwhelmingly apparent.  Everything, from the first day “jitter bubbles” and poem that she gave out at Open House, to the kind words, to the extra moments she let parents sneak in final goodbyes, showed that their kids were in good hands, they were cared for, they were loved. I could not have asked for a better experience for my first time as a kindergarten mom.

My nephew is the same age and also embarking on kindergarten transition as well. My sister-in-law and I have been calling and texting and giving one another moral support as we cross this threshold.  However, my sister-in-law is also a mom of a new freshman to high school, and I think this transition is actually more difficult than the kindergarten one.  And as I had this lovely first day experience, I began thinking to myself about the high school transition.  Our freshmen and their parents are also transitioning to that new territory and leaving a stage behind, but unfortunately, they’re not always greeted with as warm of a welcome, with the hugs, with the smiles, and with the encouragement.  There’s not as much care in handling parents and helping them understand that their child will be okay.  We assume because they are in high school the students and parents don’t need that type of encouragement.  I’m thinking we are wrong.  I’m always surprised when parents or students comment on my classroom during Open House and tell me they like it.  I try to make it inviting, but I don’t think my classroom is anything that special.  But, I think they are trying to find some sort of encouragement and warmth, similar to that of elementary classrooms, and my classroom sometimes provides that. Sometimes my smile or my mannerisms may help them.  Sometimes it’s a friendly wave or hello in the hallway. 

No matter what, this year, as I meet my new students and their parents, I am going to remember myself in that kindergarten room and how welcomed and encouraged it made me feel, and I am going to do my very best to make my students and parents feel they are in a kindergarten classroom again too. 

My Kindergartner and Pre-Schooler 2015

Taking a Risk

Today, I took a huge risk.  I presented at a conference, and a technology conference at that!  I decided that since I am so passionate about Twitter and how I've used it in my classroom, it would be a great thing for me to present on.  Boy, was it nerve-racking being a first time presenter!  It made me gain a new appreciation for my students and how nervous they may be when they do presentations for the first time in my class.

But, here's the thing.  If I'm asking my students to take risks, shouldn't I be taking risks too? 

I took a risk today, and I'm happy I did.  It was awesome to connect with so many passionate educators today, as it always is whenever I attend PD.  Thanks to all of you who supported me by coming to my session or by tweeting or facebooking about me. I think the presentation went well, and I'm glad that I took that risk. 

Here are my slides about using Twitter in the classroom, entitled #iheartsocialmedia

#Iheartsocialmedia presentation

Conquering the 7 Year Itch

In marriage, they say there’s something called the “7 year itch.”  I never experienced this in my marital life, but I certainly did in my professional .  Amidst babies, and diapers, and sleepless nights, and nursing, school and my career just didn’t take precedence. It couldn’t. There simply were not enough hours in the day.  I vividly remember during my 7^th year of teaching, I had been up all night grading, and then up all night with a baby, and I had still had an insurmountable pile of work that I wasn’t able to get to.  As I met with my Accelerated Freshmen, I explained to them what I had been able to accomplish and what I hadn’t been able to.  Just as I was finishing up talking to them, a student arrived late and asked if projects were graded.  What was an innocent enough question was like a dagger to my heart, and it opened up a floodgate of tears, as I ran out of the room. I felt I would never be able to make it through the day, the week, let alone the profession.

Somehow I got through that year and moved to the next one. Somehow, even throughout all the struggles, I didn’t quit. Somehow, I learned and grew enough to keep going.  At the time, I didn’t realize how miserable I was (even though my husband would tell me) and how I had forgotten everything I loved about teaching.  I forgot to laugh and have fun.  I forgot to build relationships with students.   I forgot that assessments and tests and grading were not our only role as educators.  My classroom turned into something that I wasn’t proud of anymore. Was I doing a good job teaching the material?  Sure. But I was focusing so much on teaching the material that I was forgetting other essential parts to teaching. 

A few years later, the fog began to lift, and I regained control of the type of teacher I wanted to be. I started to attend some professional development opportunities that changed the teacher I had become back into the teacher I was previously. I started to “find my tribe,” as they say, and discover  teachers who were like-minded.  I had a whole new world opened to me through the RAISE program   (Reading Apprenticeship in Secondary Education) and through attending Nerd Camp.  I became addicted to twitter and the opportunities it provided.  I realized that I needed to focus much more on skills and less on dumping curriculum down kids’ throats.  I realized that the relationships in my classroom would be better the more I could joke and laugh and be creative again. 

Now, I’ve made it to year 11 and school starts in just a few weeks. I conquered the 7 year itch.  Not only did I conquer it, I destroyed it.  I am not just the teacher I once was; I am the best teacher I have ever been.  My only hope is that I continue to grow and improve and to become a better teacher each and every year.