AuburnChick's Adventures

Dear Class,

Today, when you walked in, I had a little surprise for you.

In case you’re not aware of what happened, please allow me to refresh your memories.

Yesterday, you thought you had the right to disrupt class.

You continued to talk, despite numerous attempts on my part to quiet the chatter.

Did I yell?

Nope.

Did I threaten?

Of course not.

Did I create a plan?

You bet.

That plan came to fruition when you walked into class today, and I announced that we would be having a test.

You balked.

You complained.

You said, “You didn’t tell us we were having a test!”

Oh, but you see, I had warned you.

I had cautioned that you were acting as if you understood how to make inferences.

My words went unheeded.

Thus, I enacted a plan that would teach you that your choices have consequences.

While you sat, in shock, I presented you with very difficult reading passages that included twenty-four comprehensive questions.

It was not an easy exam.

I calmly explained that your previous day’s behavior had led me to believe that you were fully confident in your ability to answer inference questions, so I would be administering the summative assessment I had planned on giving when I was finished teaching the unit.

Then, you got down to work.

There were grumbles, and some of you tried to pretend that you weren’t going to take the test.

I even heard one of you quietly say that you were going to “Christmas tree” the exam.

I had a plan, though.

See, I’m an overachiever who doesn’t leave many details to chance.

On the exam, I wrote the words “Explain your answer” on every question that referenced main idea or inference.

I also cautioned that failing to do so would result in the additional loss of points.

As you gave in and realized that yes, you really had to take the test, I heard some of you quietly say things like, “I can’t figure this out,” or “I don’t know the answer.”  I even heard someone say, “I don’t know how to explain the answer.”

I gently advised you to do your best before I walked away.

This is something we adults like to call “tough love.”

The test took most of the blocked time we were in class.

You left angry.

That’s okay.  I think I might have been if I’d been in your place.

But here’s the thing.

I wouldn’t have been.

Do you want to know why?

It’s because I always appreciated my teachers.

I understood the importance of taking my education seriously.

I loved to learn, even when I struggled.

I also knew that there would be consequences for my actions.

As I reviewed the results from your exam, my suspicions were confirmed.

You did not, in fact, know what you were doing.

Lo and behold, you actually NEED me and the instruction I’m painstakingly putting together.

I think that when you find out how you did, you might actually find yourselves agreeing with me.

Heck.  You might already be feeling that way…might have been ever since you laid your eyes on those questions.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that my class is the most important one you’ll take while you’re at Podunk High School.

I’m teaching you strategies that will help you comprehend ANYTHING you’ll have to read from this point forward.

Word of advice:  STOP goofing off and START paying attention.

Have a heart-to-heart with your friends in class who are not focused.

You are in this together, and if your scores go down, the blame will rest on ALL of you.

I want to assure you that I won’t allow your behavior to discourage me.

I’ll walk into class each day with a hopeful heart because I KNOW what you’re capable of.

Our unit on Main Idea taught me that.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas break, and that you come back to school refreshed from the rest and fun you’ll be partaking of.

Bring a good attitude when you come back and know that we’ll be continuing our unit on inference.

You’ll have an opportunity to fix those horrible grades you just earned.

I’m kind that way.

Be thankful that you have a teacher who cares enough to provide you with the opportunity to experience natural consequences in a very tangible way.

Stay strong and POSITIVE!

Love,

Mrs. AuburnChick

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: education, teaching | 1 Comment »

Today, after my first class, I began to clean up and prepare for the next group of students.

That’s when I came across the following, folded in half, with my name on it, and a notation for “After 2nd period.”

The note was left by a quiet young man who sits in the back of my room.

He rarely speaks out in class, and at first, he had a difficult time completing assignments.

I’ve been working with him, and he is now doing much better, thanks to me breaking his assignments down into more manageable pieces.

I recently discovered, through his written responses on Edmodo, that he has a gift for writing. His grammar is nearly perfect. I’ve given him glowing feedback, and he is thriving.

So, the note…well…it really touched my heart.

One of the things that struggling readers have a difficult time doing is advocating for themselves.

This young man’s confidence is growing so much that he is now comfortable asking for assistance.

I showed my mentor his note, and she was moved to tears.

Needless to say, I will be picking up a cursive handwriting workbook for him and spending time teaching him this skill.

Teaching is definitely not about the money.

It’s about a moment…one that you won’t find in many occupations…when trust become tangible.

I am privileged to do what I do.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: education, teaching | 2 Comments »

Yesterday afternoon, I checked the mail and found an envelope from the Florida Department of Education.

I had recently gotten my fingerprints redone…a FLDOE requirement.

Because I’m with the public school system now, the final requirement for my professional teaching certificate could more easily be taken care of…the fingerprinting.

My school district’s office submitted the prints electronically, and I waited.

Meanwhile, time was ticking.  My Social Sciences subject area was about to expire…on the 22nd, and I did not want to have to pay major moolah ($$) to have it re-added to my records.

So, when I saw the envelope, a mere two days after I’d called the district’s office and confirmed that it had sent the fingerprints (DOE’s website did not reflect this, nor did the representative when I phoned), I briefly entertained the idea that perhaps my professional certificate was in that envelope.

I pulled this from the envelope…

My name and address were in the top left corner…so it would fit nicely into that window envelope.

There was a second piece of paper…

This was not the certificate I wanted.

Sigh.

A little disappointed, I set the papers aside.  I had been told by a lady in HR that if the 22nd passed, her office would call the State and let that office know that my fingerprints had been sent prior to this date, and that the FLDOE would honor the timing, not requiring me to pay the $$ to re-add the subject area.

Being a person of action, I looked up HR’s phone number, called, and left a voicemail explaining what had happened.

Then, I went to my school’s homecoming game.  I wanted to support the students where I teach.

Late that evening, my friend, Jane, and I had a rather lengthy phone conversation…catching up from our week.

She and I can talk like nobody’s business.  In fact, we stayed up past 2am talking.

The Mr. and Rooster had gone to Auburn for a college tour and the Saturday football game, so I was home alone…free to chat as long as I wanted.

During the conversation with Jane, she mentioned that she had gotten her certificate a few days ago.  Because she works in a private school, she had to submit her fingerprints herself, so the process had taken longer…over a month.

She mentioned that the certificate was different from what she had expected…that it LOOKED LIKE A REGULAR SHEET OF PAPER.

Oh.

My.

Gosh.

I jumped off the couch and told Jane to hold on while I frantically looked for the mail I had opened earlier.

I grabbed that white pice of paper with my name on it…

And I flipped it over…

Yep!  It was my certificate!

I hadn’t even bothered to turn over the sheet before.

I can be dumb sometimes.

Actually, I just don’t take my time with things sometimes.

If I had even bothered to read, in detail, the “Renewal Requirements” sheet, I would have seen that it listed how to stay current with your certificate.

Duh.

Jane and I agreed that God had led me to initiate the late-night conversation and for that certificate to come up in our talk.

Before Jane and I hung up, we made plans to meet up at Michael’s, buy frames for our certificates, and go to lunch after.

The next day, armed with coupons, we shopped.  I brought home these…

I had decided to go ahead and frame my diploma from Troy (earned in 2008) and my naturalization certificate…

What a difference a frame can make!  Just look at each document.

I stood back, taking them all in at once…

These frames will travel with me to school, where they will be proudly displayed in my classroom.

I want to share these pivotal points of my life with my students and explain that my life did not take the direction that I had originally planned.  God’s timing was vastly different from mine.  I experienced a lot of curve balls, challenges, and detours that threatened to permanently steer me off-course.  Through God’s help, support of my family and friends, determination, and persistence, I persevered, accomplishing what I had long dreamed for and actively pursued.

I hope that my students will be inspired by these tangible items of goals fulfilled and remember them when they face their own challenges in life.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: education, teaching | 3 Comments »