Hi friends!
2 weeks ago MEAP results were released. My principal, who is known as the "turn around" principal, was furious. Some of our scores went down from last year. And while some of the scores went up, the highest proficiency percent was in the thirties. This means that 70ish percent of the school is not proficient in academic subjects.
At the same staff meeting we were told that teachers would be moved around because we've got some major changes that need to happen to get our kids in shape. Last Wednesday my assistant principal announced the changes. I'm being moved from 5th grade science and math to 4th grade science and social studies.
Now, here are the pros and cons:
Cons: new kids, my kids won't get the science they deserve anymore, half a year left to teach what you would cover in a whole year.
Pros: NO MORE MATH!!! Had some of the kids as 3rd graders, I like teaching science and social studies, I get to keep my room, I get to start over as a teacher
I could stay mad about the fact that my fifth graders will be with a teacher who doesn't really know how to teach science. That is an injustice. I've poured into them, I've had plans for them. I could stay mad about the fact that I'm going from fifty students to eighty. I could stay mad about all sorts of things. But I don't want to.
I'm happy I'm done with math. I hate teaching math. I'm happy I get some of my third graders from Maybury. I liked those kids. It's going to be like a family reunion on Monday. I'm happy that my administration has enough faith in me to put me in a more critical teaching position (5th grade takes the science MEAP which tests on science learned in 4th grade).
What I'm really happy about is being given the chance to start over in the middle of my first year as a teacher. Thursday night I couldn't fall asleep. My head was full of ideas and plans to shape the culture of my new classroom. I was dog tired on Friday, but had gotten all of my ideas written down so Thursday night's brain explosion was worth it.
I think the most critical thing lacking in student's ability to achieve is motivation. I am reorganizing everything in my classroom and the way that I teach and handle discipline so that students feel empowered and motivated and want to learn. My goal is to be able to convince my students that they are full of greatness, that they are oozing with it. The best part is its not a lie. How crazy is it that the creator of the universe made human beings and hid in them greatness that represents their creator!?! These kids are full of greatness. I know because I have experienced God's love. Oh, how He loves us! I can't preach the gospel, but I can speak the truth. I think students who believe they can succeed will.
I need to make learning fun. Now, I don't usually have a problem with this when it comes to science and social studies, so that's almost already taken care of for me now that math is gone. But learning has to be fun. No one looks back on the lectures they had in the classroom as life changing moments. It is the activities, the investigations, the hands-on experiences that change the lives of learners.
I need to treat students with the utmost respect. Pulling kids aside to address issues instead of putting them on the spot in the middle of the classroom is a must for students to feel safe and cared for. Not showing annoyance is a must for students to feel valued and respected. I've got to change the bad habits I've gotten into. I know I'm going to have some behavior challenges, and I pray that when those come the grace of God falls on me and I can do justly in that situation. I want my kids to be excited to come to my class. And I want them to prove that they are as capable of being respectful, courteous, and kind as any other kid this world has seen. That starts with me being the example.
Detroit has a lot to prove. The nation is waiting for Detroit to finally disappear. But there is too much heart here. Detroit isn't going to just quiet down and get out of the picture. Detroit is going to rise. A shaking has to happen first though. The old structures that aren't stable and secure have to be shown for what they are and broken down. That's what we are going through. That's what I want to make it through. In the middle of the smoke and ashes when this is all said and done, I want to be with an army of kids that are ready to turn this whole thing around - Kids that are intelligent, creative, and determined. That's what I want to give life to in my classroom.
And so, in a way, it is the grace of God that I get to start over. My mind is renewed. My strength is renewed. My vision is clear. And as long as Jesus stays by my side, I will succeed and my kids will come out of this messy city with the wind under their wings. I'm ready for that.
Tomorrow I'm going to make it happen.
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