Students would be surprised to know how nervous teachers are about the first day of school. After over twenty years in education, I still have trouble sleeping the nights leading up to the first day .The first few weeks are a little awkward. It takes me awhile to learn their names. It takes me a few weeks to find out who they are as people.
Now it's May 15th, and every year around this time I start to feel a bit of sadness. I know most people think teachers are just counting down to the end of the year, but I never do that. I couldn't tell you how many days are left. I feel so connected to my students, and it is hard to see them go They are all individuals with unique personalities. I can only hope that each student has not only learned from me but has enjoyed my class. They can't possibly understand the joy that they bring me on a daily basis.
Last week we had a fire drill. Here are two quotes from students:
"Am I allowed to take a book to the fire drill?"
"Do we have to get under the desks for the drill?"
See what I mean? This job is the best.
In seventh-grade I had an amazing English teacher at Valley Middle School in Carlsbad. Her name was Carol McKee. I had just moved to Carlsbad and was a gawky girl with braces and freckles. My parents had just gone through a divorce, and it was a very hard time for me. Mrs. McKee's class was a highlight of my day. She treated everyone with love and respect. She cared. In February of that year I had to move again. I remember having her sign my check-out sheet. She looked up me and said, "I am going to miss you." I will never forget those words. They meant the world to me. I have thought about those words many times over the years, and I know now that she meant them. I know because I am going to say that to each of my students and mean it.
P.S. I had the opportunity to tell Mrs. McKee the impact of her words. When I met my husband in 1994 his roommate was her son! They had even been in a fraternity together.
Now it's May 15th, and every year around this time I start to feel a bit of sadness. I know most people think teachers are just counting down to the end of the year, but I never do that. I couldn't tell you how many days are left. I feel so connected to my students, and it is hard to see them go They are all individuals with unique personalities. I can only hope that each student has not only learned from me but has enjoyed my class. They can't possibly understand the joy that they bring me on a daily basis.
Last week we had a fire drill. Here are two quotes from students:
"Am I allowed to take a book to the fire drill?"
"Do we have to get under the desks for the drill?"
See what I mean? This job is the best.
In seventh-grade I had an amazing English teacher at Valley Middle School in Carlsbad. Her name was Carol McKee. I had just moved to Carlsbad and was a gawky girl with braces and freckles. My parents had just gone through a divorce, and it was a very hard time for me. Mrs. McKee's class was a highlight of my day. She treated everyone with love and respect. She cared. In February of that year I had to move again. I remember having her sign my check-out sheet. She looked up me and said, "I am going to miss you." I will never forget those words. They meant the world to me. I have thought about those words many times over the years, and I know now that she meant them. I know because I am going to say that to each of my students and mean it.
P.S. I had the opportunity to tell Mrs. McKee the impact of her words. When I met my husband in 1994 his roommate was her son! They had even been in a fraternity together.
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