Conclusions: I really like 2nd grade. Wow they are so easy to motivate! All I have to do to get them excited is feign excitement (though honestly, my enthusiasm has been legitimate at times). I can illustrate this point with one of my favorite moments from the first couple weeks. We were lined up to head back to class from music and I had some yellow chart paper rolled up under my arm. In a really dramatic voice I simply explained that we were about to do an activity with YELLOW CHART PAPER and they just about went crazy. They were unreasonably excited about an activity that I hadn't even explained yet, simply because of the excitement that I projected. I think those acting classes in college are coming in handy.
Switching from a 5th grade class of all boys to 2nd grade has certainly been an adjustment. My first day taking them out for a recess I had 3 incidents: one girl peed her pants (after I told her twice to hold it!), one kid lost his tooth (literally - in the grass), and one kid ended up with a bloody lip. All this from a little duck-duck-goose. I guess 2nd graders just aren't quite as tough. Since then, I've toned it down a bit. And now I let Amanda go pee if she asks.
I saw Tydario the other day. I asked him how his anger management is going, and he said with a smile, "I haven't changed." I actually have his brother this year, who has different struggles- mainly academic. I also saw Bucumi today, one of my Burundians who tried hard to keep up contact with me during the summer with email. It seems that middle school is rubbing off on him: he had bootleg grills fashioned from gum wrappers, encasing his teeth.
Finished reading-aloud "Fantastic Mr. Fox" on Friday, and I begun "The BFG" today. If my students don't get anything else out of this year, they're going to become Roald Dahl fans (I'll omit the part about him being an anti-Semite).
All in all, this year is just going much, much better. I'm finding my personality as a teacher, and I've begun to own a reputation among the students, having been there for a year now. Even the administration has got my back. Apparently a parent called to complain that I'd embarrassed their child about not having school supplies, and the administration didn't even buy it. They told the parent, "No. Any other teacher, maybe. Not Mr. Stewart."
August 23, 2009
August 09, 2009
Round 2. Ding
Bout time for an update? I think so. The new school year starts tomorrow, and I'm quite excited. After an incredibly taxing year, I'm encouraged by the sense of optimism and enthusiasm I have. I'm teaching 2nd grade now, a change that occurred at the end of the year last year, and I really think it will be a good fit for me.
One big difference between 5th grade and 2nd grade is that I will be able to get away with the gimmicky stuff that I couldn't last year. For example, I'm reading "The Little Engine that Could" tomorrow, and then using that as a springboard into my academic "Big Goals" (TFA jargon) , emphasizing that hard work sustained over a long period of time brings results. Slow and steady wins the race. I'm thinking I might have them whisper-chant "I think I can, I think I can..." I'm gonna be a real cheeseball. Did I mention I'm doing a train theme in the classroom? All I need is a conductor's hat.
Also noteworthy is the fact that the administration decided to give me all the hispanic students in 2nd grade, because I can speak spanish. As of Friday, 8 of the 12 students on my roster were hispanic. Generally speaking, our hispanic students seem to be more driven and less rebellious than other students. I think that a lot of this is due to the fact that their parents, many of whom are 1st generation immigrants, simply recognize the importance that education plays in our society, and impart that mindset upon their children.
I heard an interesting interview on NPR with Joseph O'Neill, the author of "Netherland," (popularized in part by its presence on Obama's nightstand) in which the topic of immigration came up. O'Neill shared a refreshing perspective on immigration that I'd never heard before. The point he made was that immigrants are a highly self-selective population. That is to say, the decision to leave one's homeland for another, as well as the success of that migration, creates a natural filter. So immigrants, by their very nature, are some of the most ambitious, industrious, and driven individuals out there. Paraphrasing O'Neill, every new immigrant brings a fresh verve to our country--something we should welcome.
The anxiety and intimidation that characterized my night-before-the-first-day has been replaced by an excitement and a confidence. I am prepared for tomorrow (something very rare for any day of the year last year). I have an aesthetically pleasing classroom in which I actually enjoy spending time (I went in to work on Saturday). We'll see how it goes.
One big difference between 5th grade and 2nd grade is that I will be able to get away with the gimmicky stuff that I couldn't last year. For example, I'm reading "The Little Engine that Could" tomorrow, and then using that as a springboard into my academic "Big Goals" (TFA jargon) , emphasizing that hard work sustained over a long period of time brings results. Slow and steady wins the race. I'm thinking I might have them whisper-chant "I think I can, I think I can..." I'm gonna be a real cheeseball. Did I mention I'm doing a train theme in the classroom? All I need is a conductor's hat.
Also noteworthy is the fact that the administration decided to give me all the hispanic students in 2nd grade, because I can speak spanish. As of Friday, 8 of the 12 students on my roster were hispanic. Generally speaking, our hispanic students seem to be more driven and less rebellious than other students. I think that a lot of this is due to the fact that their parents, many of whom are 1st generation immigrants, simply recognize the importance that education plays in our society, and impart that mindset upon their children.
I heard an interesting interview on NPR with Joseph O'Neill, the author of "Netherland," (popularized in part by its presence on Obama's nightstand) in which the topic of immigration came up. O'Neill shared a refreshing perspective on immigration that I'd never heard before. The point he made was that immigrants are a highly self-selective population. That is to say, the decision to leave one's homeland for another, as well as the success of that migration, creates a natural filter. So immigrants, by their very nature, are some of the most ambitious, industrious, and driven individuals out there. Paraphrasing O'Neill, every new immigrant brings a fresh verve to our country--something we should welcome.
The anxiety and intimidation that characterized my night-before-the-first-day has been replaced by an excitement and a confidence. I am prepared for tomorrow (something very rare for any day of the year last year). I have an aesthetically pleasing classroom in which I actually enjoy spending time (I went in to work on Saturday). We'll see how it goes.
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