Well, the highlight of my day was definitely meeting with my cadre leader at Starbucks. A nice lady, who's a great teacher, who's easy to talk to and thinks like I do over a nice cup of tea. What could be better?
We talked about all kinds of things- from my two difficult boys, to my one little boy that is STILL five, to the dynamics and challenges of my diverse team, to silly staff meetings to stupid math worksheets. She's the one that got me thinking about ditching them in the first place. She said she doesn't give them ANY pencil-paper work until the middle of the school year! That's a bit extreme for me, but I can agree that the kids do learn better through experimentation and manipulatives.
We talked about our reading program- that is good and thorough, but still doesn't meet the diverse needs of our kids, let alone the standards our government says we must teach.
(As I am rereading this, I think it sounds a bit negative... Know that she was totally supportive, encouraging and professional, but also REAL with me. I needed that : )
Last night I was frustrated with our reading curriculum and was trying to explain to Ross why. Finally, I said, (this is a slightly paraphrased version) "You could use it and teach kids to read. But you don't want to teach kids to read. I do and I have a mind of my own, thank you. I didn't become a teacher so I could read out of a curriculum book. I became a teacher because I'm creative and like presenting things in a way kids can understand them."
Right? Which is more important to you: the curriculum that your child is learning or the teacher who is presenting the material to your child? Ughh!
I can't talk about this too much. It stresses me out...
The "Jamba Juice lady" came to school today (aka Auntie Pam). The kids enjoyed Jamba Juice while I read to them about insects. A delightful combination, huh? She came right after I gave the Chapter 2 math test- which worked out good, because I think the kids might have actually forgot how horrible the experience was....
Yesterday, when my principal gave the okay for me to ditch the workbooks, we agreed that I would still give the chapter tests - to keep up with our "progress monitoring." The kids had learned almost everything from chapter two and I had been avoiding it for a week, so I decided that I would review it today. Well, the review was great- so I decided to give them the test. Big mistake!! A girl started crying and I wanted to cry, too.
I "graded" them after school. Five of my kids aced it- completely. I could have told you they would. They are my mathematical thinkers. It's their gift. God knew they would ace it, too : ) My other 17 bombed it. Totally. They're completely ugly. I was getting sick while grading them. These kids are not dumb. They can become mathematical thinkers. They can learn to love math. But not with this ridiculous curriculum...
So now I have to decide what I am going to do. I think I might write up my progress monitoring from this test. Show the principal my five 100's and seventeen 30's. Then show her the progress they have made in their counting skills. Prove that I am a good teacher and can teach math, just not with the materials I have been given.
You can pray for my little mathematical thinkers, the ones that are now and the ones that soon will be : )
Lastly, I wanted to share with you from my devotion this morning. I read Ephesians 2: 1-10. Read it and emphasize on verse 10. How are you His workmanship and what has He prepared for you to do? Are you doing it with all your heart and soul?
On our anniversary trip, Ross wrote me a short love note. In it he called me the "best teacher in the world" and he talked about how excited he was that God had picked the students that would be in my class, even before the world began. Those words give me encouragement every day. Be encouraged that He has chosen your job/role/relationships even before the world began and that He believes in you : )
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