First Two Days of Teaching

To all teachers who have ever been and ever will be: I commend thee.

I have officially been teaching for two days now, and I cannot believe how much work goes into a two hour lesson plan! I'm not even teaching a full day, and I'm exhausted by the end of it! So two enthusiastic thumbs up to all of you.

To say its been difficult is probably an under-statement. I'm teaching reading to third graders for the next two weeks. The first day, the students showed up twenty minutes late to the classroom due to bus issues. Trying to teach them all the procedures, rules, and regulations and have time for our read aloud and shared reading was virtually impossible. Luckily, the kids were scared enough about the new situation and new teacher to stay fairly quiet.

The second day, two third grade boys (not my students, thank goodness, but third graders nonetheless) started punching each other in the hallway during the bathroom break. One was taken away with a bloody nose, and both were sent home for good. The brand new teachers in the hall, including myself, were left in the hallway, flabbergasted (one of our vocab words) at what had just occurred. This was the first time that I realized my students were facing some challenges I never had to face as a child.

The second realization occurred when I graded their introductory spelling tests. One student is at a fifth grade level, which is fantastic. However, the vast majority struggle with spelling "float" (its the 'o''a' combo that is confusing for some). The achievement gap is a literacy gap, and now I have proof.

These past two days have not been easy. My Corps Member Advisor (CMA) has been extremely supportive and is always available, but even with that help, it is difficult to be positive on less than four hours of sleep every night. My suite mates and I give each other thirty seconds to vent when we get home every day, but after that, no one can say anything negative. It helps us focus on what we really need to be doing, which is closing the achievement gap, not complaining about having another three lessons due by eight tomorrow morning or how one of our co-teachers forgot to go over line-up procedures. Every night is filled with planning and assessments and trackers and a unusual delirium derived from a seemingly unhealthy mix of zero sleep, highly caffeinated drinks, a frightening amount of fried chicken and momma's meatloaf from the dining hall, and an even scarier drive to succeed.

Exhibit A: Today, one of my suite mates was simultaneously crying because she was afraid her students had not learned what she had taught them and laughing because she knew that it was ridiculous to be crying all the while planning the next day's lesson.

I'm telling you Zero Sleep + Caffeine + Fried Everything + Scary Drive to Succeed = Delirium.

So that is a general overview of my first two days. Thanks for the prayers. I could always use more.

P.S.

One of my students, one who always wants to be at the head of the line so that she can stand next to the teacher, came up to me after class while I was sending students to the bus. She put her hand in mine, smiled and said, "Have a good day, Miss Claiborn."