I am a wonderful teacher this year. My students are focused, hard-working and smart. They've produced some excellent test scores and I couldn't be more proud of them. And myself.
It started in the fall at Curriculum Night. My presentation was so convincing that the parents have been carefully checking their children's homework each night, helping them practice their spelling words and drilling them with flash cards. They all showed up for parent conferences and many of them took notes. They've made sure that my students are well-rested, well-fed and well-prepared for school each day.
I think I know another reason for my success. I don't waste a lot of my time with classroom management. I mostly focus on teaching and the kids (most of whom are girls!) listen.
I wasn't always this good. A few years ago, in fact, I stunk. My class was rowdy and unfocused. My Curriculum Night presentation was not compelling; I consistently had kids coming in hungry, sleepy, cranky and unprepared. I had failed to get their parents to support me at home.
Moreover, I was frittering away the day on classroom management activities that did nothing to bring my students closer to the state standards. I had a hard time getting that class (most of whom were boys) to listen.
Oh well; live and learn. When I work hard, my kids learn. When I slough off, they don't. One event causes the other. Just like breakfast causes lunch.
Tom, thanks so much for the laugh! It was well timed… This is one of those years where I’m a terrible teacher, which is made worse by the fact that last year, I was the best teacher in the whole world! I just hope that when districts and states decide to evaluate us based on student achievement that they read your post!
Here’s how I dealt with a mostly-boy group of hungry, poorly-prepared and poorly-supported students: I spent about $8 a DAY on food. Every day I had a plate of bagels, or bananas, or apples, or a jug of milk and some crackers, or some sliced turkey sitting in front of the room. They’d come in wild and distractable, they’d have a snack, and we’d get to work.
Teachers all over the place do things like this, and it’s not acknowledged. Kids come to school hungry, exhausted, and emotionally starved and teachers take care of them. Teachers do a lot of parenting, particularly teachers who teach in difficult schools with a high percentage of students living in chaos. Many teachers do a lot of life coaching for students who need to learn how to stay organized, set goals, and follow through on tasks. Some children are taught these things at home, when they’re three. Some kids don’t learn it until they’re in a classroom.
I just wish, in all the focus on standards and NCLB and all the “you have to deal with the kids in front of you…”, that there was some recognition of the fact most teachers are juggling the academic standards and academic assessments while also raising children to be happy, healthy adults. Teachers haven’t forgotten this second, important part of the classroom, but NCLB seems to have left it behind.