Making strides

Left: How I feel on a typical Wednesday. Right: How I felt today.

Wednesday's are typically my longest days. Part of the reason is because the school schedule is a little crazy, and the other reason is because I start to feel the early mornings catch up to me by this point, but still feel like there is a lot left to my work week. Wednesdays I teach 1st, 3rd, and 5th periods for a little more than 90 minutes each. Third and fifth periods have the most number of students, and also the students who are struggling the most. Many of them are failing a class, and most at least two classes. I often feel like a chicken with my head cut-off as I attempt to work with all of the students either individually or in small groups on their respective math and science classes. I often spend a fair amount of time trying to redirect those that I am not working with in hopes that they will work independently on the assignment that we agreed on at the beginning of class.

Fifth period today was amazing. The students came in and worked quietly until lunch, and then, settled back to their work after only about five minutes once they returned from lunch. I was able to work with all of the groups that I needed/wanted to, and felt like the students that I worked with actually made some strides in understanding the material we went over.

I must say that I was particularly surprised that this class period went so well. After the laptop was stolen Monday, I was forced to change my beginning and ending class protocols. Yesterday was tense in most of my classes as I explained the change, and why the change was taking place. Many of the students in my fifth period were angry about the situation, and expressed resentment that because a peer took something, they all had to suffer. I explained to them honestly that I also felt uncomfortable about having to keep the back office area completely locked off, and check out computers individually, but that it is also my job to take care of the materials that we are so fortunate to have. I am grateful that fifth period showed me that they respected my management decisions today. That these students who are so used to having privileges removed due to actions done by their peers thanked me for being honest in my discomfort, and more importantly, for sharing my feelings and reasoning.