AuburnChick's Adventures

The nightmares have begun – in earnest.

If you’re a teacher, you know exactly what I mean.

If you’re not a teacher but a mom, you’ll be able to identify with the phenomenon known as back to school nightmares.

When you’re an expectant mom, you have those dreams of leaving the baby in the car (so scary nowadays with all of the children dying of heatstroke in vehicles).

My teacher nightmares usually start up a couple of weeks prior to pre-planning; however, this year, I began having these dreams in June.

For freaking sake, can my subconscious please give me a break?

I’ve had about three dreams where I’m at school, and I discover that my classroom has been been changed – without anybody notifying me.  I actually told my principal about this when I happened to be at the school the morning after the first dream with a “Ha, ha.  Don’t you dare think of moving me.”

I need this shirt.  Seriously.

Y’all, this will be my seventh year in my room.  I love it.  It’s large, spacious, and mine.  Yes, I have laid claim to it.  It’s perfect for conducting reading stations.  My students do not sit in desks; they sit around long tables to better facilitate collaborative learning.  I had desks my first year at this school, and putting them together into groups was a royal pain in the rump.

Last week, I had a dream where I thought I had first period planning then realized, a little late, that I actually had a class.  Every teacher has made the dreaded run down the hallway when mischievous children are left to their own devices.  It doesn’t matter how old the kids are; they wreak havoc at any age.

A few nights ago, I dreamed that it was the first day of class, and my students – high school, mind you – would NOT SIT DOWN.  They were so, so, so bad.  I have good classroom management, y’all, but in that dream, I remember thinking that I had not planned well enough for the first day of school.  Maybe the dream was a warning that I needed to get on the ball with that.

Ahem.

I hope that one day, when I’m fortunate enough to retire, I won’t have these dreams any more.  I suspect that I will – at least the first year – when I’m establishing a new routine for myself.

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

I mentioned, in yesterday’s post, that my school had its graduation ceremony on Tuesday, and that I had photos I’d be sharing.

Well, surprise, surprise, surprise, but I’m actually following through on that post.

Ha!

Y’all, I know that I sound like a broken record sometimes, but seriously, teaching can be so rewarding sometimes.

Graduation is the culmination of everything amazing, not to mention the payoff for endless hours of hard work, for both students and teachers.

I was nervous about the weather that evening because Subtropical Storm Alberto had just passed through the day before, and it had rained ALL morning.  The kids usually sit out on the football field for commencement; however, Plan B was that graduation would take place in the gym if thunderstorms decided to come our way.  That would have left students with two graduation tickets instead of ten, severely limiting the number of family/friends allowed to attend.

I got to the gym, where students were milling around in their caps and gowns.  It was a great chance to speak with them and pose for pictures.

As it got closer to showtime, I stepped outside and walked to the field.  The sky was absolutely glorious – and free of rain.

We teachers milled around at one end of the field while we waited for the graduates to arrive, pageant style.

As we began to walk across the field as the ceremony began, the sky had changed colors. It took my breath away.

My school district just rebuilt our stadium; a large screen now stands at one end of the field. I absolutely loved seeing things up close. This sight made my heart flutter; gratefulness for those serving overwhelmed me.

After listening to various speakers, it was finally time for the main event – the reading of each graduating senior’s name and his/her walk across the stage.

The teacher’s section, off to the side, was in close proximity to the red-clad kiddos, and it was with much affection and joy that I hopped out of my seat to hug the necks of the kids I’d had the pleasure of teaching. Some had graced my classroom two years ago as sophomores, while others had joined me this year as juniors (graduating a year early) and seniors. A few of my sophomores from two years ago were back with me as seniors this year, so we knew each other well.

I snapped a few selfies. They are priceless and speak volumes to the emotions that were running rampant that night.

The young lady in the photo above was a student of mine two years ago . . . a petite, feisty gal who had a strong work ethic that I held in high regard. A couple of weeks ago, during Teacher Appreciation Week, she posted the sweetest tribute to me. A friend saw it (I do not friend students on Facebook) and had tagged me in a comment. I was sitting in my driveway reading it and crying as her words entered my soul – her gratefulness for me a balm to my weary heart.

The student in the photo below was a tenderhearted young lady who had to overcome a lot of obstacles this year to stay the course. She was methodical about her work and quick to share a smile. I adored having her in my class.

The next young lady worked so hard all year. She was uber-quiet and completely focused on her goal of graduating. She went the extra mile with every assignment and worked hard outside of class to improve her reading. One of the high points of my year was giving her the good news that not only did she pass her SAT, but she blew the required score out of the water. Hearing this soft-spoken young lady shout out in exuberant joy while jumping up and down in my class brought me to tears. I know, from experience, how meaningful it is when you have to work especially hard for something.

The next young lady kept things very real in my class.  She was sassy to the core, but she was a mature kind of sassy.  She knew the line she couldn’t cross and often kept other students in check.  She was fiercely independent and worked long hours at a job outside of school.  I remember when she took the December ACT.  Many of my students had signed up for that test (it was another pathway toward graduation), and I’d surprised my students by showing up at the test site.  As I’d handed out pencils, mints, and other snacks, I’d spoken words of encouragement.  This gal’s surprise that I would show up, on a Saturday (i.e. my day off) spoke volumes and cemented a trust that had been formative at that point.

She had covered her eyes and begged me not to look when we’d signed onto her account to check her scores two weeks later.  Truth be told, I had already known that she’d passed, but she was scared to death.  Her shock and joy were a sight to behold.  She was extremely emotional as she prepared to walk across the stage, just moments after we snapped this photo.

I’ll never forget the young man in my final photo.  I remember the first time he walked into my classroom.  For some reason, I think he came a day or two after school started, and I knew, from the way other students greeted him, that he was popular.  I also spied a mischievous glint in his eye.  Oh yeah, he’d been a character his first three years of high school, or so I hear.  😉

This young man surprised me though.  He was always respectful and heeded my requests to stop talking and get back on task.  He never spoke a cross word.  It was incredibly satisfying when we learned that he had passed his reading exam, although he was sad when his schedule was changed since he no longer needed my class.  Every single time he walked past my room between classes, he spoke to me with a smile on his face.  It was with much joy that we hugged one another as he prepared to accept his diploma.

Y’all, these are the smiles of students who achieved the goals they set for themselves the first day they walked into my room.

I pray that as they encounter curve balls during their lives, they’ll remember the obstacles they overcame early on.

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

You know the saying that a picture says a thousand words?

Well, take a look at this one, a snapshot taken by one of my school’s teachers during Tuesday’s graduation ceremony . . .

This photo sums up what teaching means to me, and it fits my mood as I reflect on my eighth year of teaching.

The young man in this photo was my student two years ago, when I was still teaching sophomores.  I’d met him the year before when his best friend was a student in my class.  She was a year ahead of him, and they often walked to class together.  His teacher was in the room beside mine.

It was during those brief conversations that friendship grew.  Little did we know at the time, but the following year, this young man found himself on my roster, officially my student.

He was such a joy to teach.  His positive attitude and smile always managed to turn my mood around if I was having a bad morning.  His class was a good one, but they could get rambunctious.  He always had my back.  If you know anything about teaching, you understand that having an ally in the classroom can be especially helpful when your class is a bit spirited.

Ahem.

Later that year, I was nominated for a prestigious school award.  Some of my students were interviewed as part of the application process – this sweet guy among that group.  When I watched the video later, I was moved to tears.  Listening to him describe how he had not liked people very much until I’d opened up a new world for him through the books we read in class was illuminating and humbling.  He said that he’d gained a better perspective of others because of the characters in those books.

Just wow.

Even after the school year ended and new classes entered my room, this student continued to come by and visit.  He’d also speak to me in the hallways as he passed by, on his way to his junior and senior classes.

Then Tuesday arrived . . . the BIG day . . . when he and 270+ of his classmates donned their caps and gowns and prepared to walk the stage.

We teachers had front row seats in a section set off to the side, and as I saw him approach, his eyes met mine, and that smile he’d become famous for stretched across his face.  I got up and gave him a huge hug, congratulating him on a job well done.

I’m emotional as I type this – even two days later.  He wasn’t the only student I hugged that evening (I’ll share other photos soon), but the picture above is the one that captures four years’ worth of trust and camaraderie.

THIS is what teaching is about.

It’s not about the daily lessons, developed according to certain standards and whatnot.  While those are important in their own right, teaching can’t be summed up by them.

It’s not about a test score or grade point average.  Those are man’s ways of measuring so-called “success.”

No, teaching is about creating bonds with students so that they will leave school better than when they arrived.

In the process, we teachers are forever changed as well, newer and better versions of ourselves – upgraded, so to speak, by the young men and women who graced our classrooms.

God speed, Class of 2018.  May you never forget the big picture – that you are cherished by those who were honored to walk alongside you these past four years – that we will always remember how you grew in stature, ready to take on the world.

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Today started out as pretty much an average day.

I got up, put in some miles, and went in to work.

It was testing day for our 9th graders, so we were on a delayed start.  Students who were not testing weren’t due until 1:05.  We rotated through four 25-minute class periods before calling it a day.

I stopped at Best Buy on the way home and then ran by the nail salon for a bit of pampering . . .

I called my friend, Christina, to wish her a happy birthday.  In the middle of our conversation, I walked to the mailbox.

That’s when my day became anything but average.

Waiting for me was a letter with a return address of Parris Island.

All of a sudden, my heart was in my throat, and I could hardly think straight.

Instantly, I was taken back to the spring of 2016 when such letters regularly populated my mailbox — all from my Rooster boy.

Christina had to get off the phone to get ready for her birthday dinner, so I wished her well, hung up, and headed straight for my letter opener (mustn’t mess up the nails).

Inside, I found a two-page, handwritten letter from a young man I’d taught three years ago.

He was writing from Marine boot camp – a dream he’d cultivated for years.

He held a special place in my heart – his whole class did, small as it was.  This class had watched as I’d become an empty nester and had sent off my own boy to Air Force basic training.

In fact, my student, who had asked me to call him Fluffy, had drawn a picture of Rooster’s dog, which I sent him while he was still in BMT.

I had given Fluffy my address after he graduated and told him that if he would send me a letter, I would write him back.  I knew the importance of supporting the young men and women in training to serve our country.

He kept his word; today’s letter was proof of that.

If you’ve never held a letter from a loved one who serves, you might not understand the range of emotions a person goes through.

It’s a combination of joy and pride as memories of that person flood your mind.

The opening words made me laugh.  Fluffy was himself, as always.

For the record, he did remember my first name and did include it on the envelope.

My mama heart hurt as I read that he’d been pretty sick.  Poor kiddo.  I’m praying that my own letter will find him well.

His second page is what brought the rush of tears.

Just look at how much he’s grown already – the sage advice he’s offering to my current charges.

My face as I finished . . . well, it was a good thing that the Mr. and I had not made any dinner plans.

You know, just this morning, another teacher and I were lamenting the woes of teaching – the ridiculous mandates – the horrid VAM system, by which we are judged as worthy and capable teachers.

This letter, from the first word to the end, made me snap my head back where it belonged.

I chose this profession to help kids recognize their potential.

God has been so gracious to allow me to see the fruit of my labor, one child at a time.

Although Fluffy may not remember my first name, I’ll always remember his.

It’s imprinted on my heart forever.

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

I might have mentioned, a time or two, that my classes have been in test mode . . .

All.

Year.

Long.

We had the FSA and SAT in October, the ACT in December, the FSA in February, and the SAT and FSA in March.

Lots and lots and lots of testing . . .

And waiting for results . . .

And rejoicing for those who made the required scores . . .

And encouraging those who were left behind when the others got schedule changes.

There have been many snacks purchased . . .

And toted to computer labs, to be doled out when kids start falling asleep . . .

I started the year with 180 students.

I’m down to 45, most of whom have passed one or more of the above-listed tests (some moved away or changed schools for various reasons).

This is what teaching in Florida has been reduced to, folks, and I can’t help but feel badly for the kids.

A week or two ago, I heard one of my girls say that she hadn’t been to class in days because she had been testing so much, and that she had no clue how to do the work that other students had been learning while she’d been gone.

Next week, our ninth and tenth graders will test.  My kids took their tests earlier, so they are getting a break, for a change.

I’m trying to take it easy on my students because, quite frankly, we are all test-tired.

They worked on a literature project last week, and this week, they are reading articles about artificial sweeteners.

My job – helping them with their reading skills – isn’t over yet because many of my kids will be taking the SAT in June, hoping to pass before the concordant score goes up in the next few months (I’ll be in a rage over this factoid very soon).

So, if you’re looking for me around 4pm each day, here’s how you’ll find me . . .

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