Thursday 9/19
I know, I know. How can I be having my FIRST tough day three weeks into school? Well after about that amount of time you truly become invested in the lives of each and every one of your students.
And so, I had a really tough day.
I found out that one of my freshmen recently lost her mother to cancer. On the first day of school "Jane" came to school with a smile that could light up a room. She was a bright student who was ESPECIALLY excited to "write on the wall" in my class. During the second week of school Jane's free write (which each student completes once a week in their journal) was about her mother's newly discovered cancer and the emotions she was feeling. It was moving, to say the least, and I made sure to write a personalized response that might comfort her in some way.
After three days in a row of missing class, I looked up Jane's home phone number and called. I found out from her brother that their mother had passed and that they were working hard to get Jane back to school on Friday. I gave my condolences and told the siblings I was available if they needed anything at all in this tough time.
My emotions outpoured the second I hung up the phone. I already knew there was no father in the picture, but now my bubbly, quirky, 14-year-old student would be facing the world without any parents. Of course her siblings are an incredible force behind her, but I still cringe at the thought of the unfortunate challenge she will have to face during high school, and throughout her young life.
Tomorrow I'll be handing Jane a note I've written to her (at the end of class to avoid any embarrassment/tears) and I hope that it can begin to show her how supportive I hope to be in the future. No one can replace what she has just lost, but I feel strongly that each of her teachers can be a cheerleader as she accomplishes things in her educational career, just as my parents are for me.
This moment reminded me of the reason I joined the Teach For America Movement: I wanted to show kids that we all have a story to share, and if we listen to each other, we will find that we are never truly alone. Be grateful for the love in your life, be brave in times of heartache, and never let anyone tell you aren't perfect, just as you are.
I hope tomorrow will go smoothly with Jane, and that she will continue to use our journal as a space for her feelings. Simply trusting me enough to read them is a great start.
Friday 9/20
Today was wonderful. I gave "Jane" the note that I wrote and watched her read it and smile. She put it away in her bag and got right to work. She asked me for anything she could make up and her attitude seems to be in the right place: upset but resilient. I'm so impressed with her spirit and look forward to the year with her.
In more teaching related news...
Class updates: My 12th Honors English class is halfway through The Comedy of Errors! We familiarized ourself with some Shakesperean language by creating insults which hung on my "You Mad?" wall for the first week. I think the students really liked when I called them measles, believe it or not!
With my 9th Honors classes we are still in our short story unit and have just finished "Marigolds", a great coming of age story for the young teens. I can tell a few of my 9th graders are really excited to come to my class everyday, and it is an amazing feeling to greet their smiles at the door. They essentially want to know what I've got in store for the day, and I'm glad they are so engaged during my lessons.This week we focused on theme and conflict in the story.
Can you name some of the most common conflicts? Probably!
But can you draw them? MY KIDS CAN!!
But can you draw them? MY KIDS CAN!!
Overall the year is going very well. I feel lucky to be able to walk into a classroom I designed, teach lessons I create, and learn from students I truly care for, every single day. So many people have told me "don't burn out" or "be careful, the fun dies after a while" but I don't see those things. I see a new set of ~30 minds that walk into my classroom every period each day. I get a mere 53 minutes to make sure they are MORE brilliant, respectful, passionate, and understanding than when they walked in. Oh, and that they ONLY end a sentence with a preposition when it is for an IMPORTANT purpose (see before!).
As always, I love hearing from you! Let me know any teaching tips you have and reactions to my pictures!
All My Best,
Danielle
