I've got to share this realization. I posted recently about some of the positive things that have happened with this long-term sub job, but today something bigger than those incidents hit me. At the very end of the day, after the kids were gone, after a faculty meeting... I was back in my room getting organized and such when I walked over to my dry erase board to change our "Days of School Left" countdown. As I was erasing the number and getting ready to write the new one, I actually had the thought and feeling that I was going to miss these kids. Then I did this... "wait, what?!" I surprised myself. I honestly had the thought and feeling of realizing that I will miss these kids -at least a little.
Today wasn't even awesome for me to have felt this way. We had moments where I was ready to smash something and could almost just have started laughing from the chaos that refused to settle down. There are only so many times you can yell "I'm waiting!" or "So-and-So, sit down!" before it's almost laughable. Fortunately I don't laugh -usually. Today, however, I did. My seriously ADHD girl did not take her medicine... and was off the walls alllllll day long. At the end of the day -I do NOT know where she kept getting glue bottles from. For the life of me. Earlier in the day I got fed up and picked them all up and put them up high. I do not know where she kept getting them. She wanted it to be art class all day. I took an uncountable number of glue bottles, scissors, and paper away from her from 8 this morning until 3 this afternoon. During a reading lesson this afternoon, the class was fairly focused and we were talking about poetry... I was in the middle of reading a fun poem to the class, when I look up and see this girl with a pair of paper cut-out sunglasses TAPED to her forehead and eyes. I was beyond frustrated with her -but even so... the girl sitting next to her is an excellent student who focuses and pays attention, and when I saw that she was struggling to focus and not laugh, I started cracking up myself. All day long. Where did she keep finding glue to use?! How on earth is she able to continue making these things when I keep taking EVERYTHING away from her?! The paper sunglasses taped to her face just did me in -and I laughed out loud. It was both infuriating and entertaining. Something can be both at once, right?
Also today, three boys in my room who have all been extremely talkative, reluctant to follow directions (that's putting it nicely), disrespectful, among numerous other things... all had an AWESOME afternoon. They were working so hard to be on task, quiet, in their seats, and following directions. It made me very proud and excited to see them doing so well. After the bell as we were walking to the car-riders section, one of these boys said something that made me extremely happy. He told me he knew he had been having bad behavior -and he actually said "I kinda think I regret my behavior." And he was genuine and had an apologetic tone and told me he wanted to do better from now on. It was a great walk with him talking about his behavior from our room to the front of the building.
This week we've also started talking about poetry -and I love poetry and I told the kids that. I think it made them more excited about it too. They listen and enjoy hearing me read them fun poems and today I heard some of them say "I like poetry" and "poetry is fun!" Seriously. Isn't that awesome?!
I came home in a good mood today. And I'm actually -get this- excited for tomorrow! I'm excited to see (hopefully) these three boys have another good day. I'm excited to continue talking about poetry. And I'm excited for our Social Studies project tomorrow afternoon. The kids made products to "sell" to each other and the last two days they've made signs/posters in class to advertise their product. It'll be our whole afternoon with the other 3rd grade classes, selling to each other and taking turns buying. It might be chaotic... but it should be fun as well!
8 days left!
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