I used to know a lot.
Actually, there was a time when I knew everything. I had graduated from high school. I knew that I was going to get a university education, a great job, a husband, a family and a home within 5 years. I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and that I would be working with Grade 7 and 8 kids who would be hanging on my every word and developing a love for language and math because of my inherited teaching skills (my mom was a great teacher!).
Fast forward 4 years and I had graduated from university. I didn't think it possible but I may have known more than I did when I had started. I had a degree in history, after all. Actually, I had 2 degrees. I spent a year at Teacher's College and had acquired everything I would need to know about kids and teaching. I was ready to take on the world of education.
Amazingly enough, I landed a job a month after I graduated .....Grade 7 and 8 students, no less. I was ready to dazzle them with my enthusiasm and polished and flawless lesson plans. Although I was only going to teach this class for three months, I knew that they would all display amazing skill and intelligence directly as a result of my teaching skills.
I'll never forget that first day. I was greeted by 36 intermediate students in a small portable classroom. After the bell rang, 2 of them climbed out the window. No one would stop talking long enough to listen to me. There wasn't a pen or a pencil in sight. These are the highlights. It got much worse before it got even a little bit better.
Those were the longest three months of my career, but probably the time when I learned the most. Can you believe that not all kids learn at the same speed? Did you know that just because a child is in Grade 7 doesn't mean that she is working at a Grade 7 level? Imagine that not every kid loves to read. I didn't know. What was I going to do? This was not in the plan.
The first few years in teaching usually mean bouncing around to different schools and teaching assignments. I met a lot of kids, parents and other teachers. It was not any different at any other school. There were kids in classrooms that struggled. They had excellent teachers who were well educated and well prepared. Still, the kids did not all succeed at the same speed.
When I came to Iroquois, I was an experienced teacher ( I had been teaching for 2 years!). I was assigned a Grade 2 class. I spent all summer getting ready. I planned a beautiful unit about apples. I photocopied, coloured and laminated through the month of August. I was going to lay everything before them in the first week (I would probably take the first day to get to know them). I would take the one or two who struggled aside and get them started on the right path.
Disaster struck again. Nowhere in the curriculum did it say that I would have to teach kids in Grade 2 HOW to read. I did not have a clue how to do this! I didn't even know where to start. Remember I'm older than the Internet, so I couldn't even "google it". There was no course in Teacher's College. I did the only thing I could. I went to the principal. He sent me to the Grade 1 teacher. She had been teaching grade 1 for almost 30 years. She smiled when I told her my dilemma. Actually, I'm sure, she laughed out loud when she was alone.
I really did think that I was prepared for teaching with a university degree. Many people make this mistake. I had no sense of the value of experience. Thanks to Mrs. Burrell, I learned how to teach kids how to read. She helped me learn that not all kids have the same skills and that they would not all learn at the same speed. She showed me how to assess kids on a daily basis to learn what they know and what they need to know next. She made me appreciate that learning to read is a complicated skill but the most important thing that a child can learn. She taught me to persevere with every child until they find a way to read. She encouraged me to find a way to take courses and attend conferences so that I could always be up to date on the current research. She stuck by me that year and she offered her expertise every time I asked.
The most important thing she taught me was that I had a lot to learn.
Sunday, 13 January 2013
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Learning Something New
Do you remember any of your important "firsts"?
Take a minute and think.
I'm too old to remember my early "firsts", like my first steps or my first day of school. I do remember my first teacher, Mrs. Herriman. What I remember about her is that she loved us. She was always happy to see us. She was kind and spoke softly and we loved her back. I don't remember exactly what she taught us, but I remember that she made us want to come to school. I see her now in the grocery store and she remembers me. That makes me happy.
I remember the first time I rode on an airplane. My friend Trudy and I booked a trip to Acapulco, Mexico for the March Break. I can't tell you any of the details because this is a family friendly blog, but I definitely caught the travelling bug. I wanted to travel more and see different places.
I remember my first teaching assignment. I was excited and scared, all at the same time. I was anxious to try all the things that I had learned from teacher's college and practice teaching assignments. I wish I could find those kids and tell them that they taught me more than I taught them that year. I would thank them for being patient with me and helping me launch what has become a very rewarding career.
Today we gave "she who shall remain nameless" (aka our daughter) her first car. When I see how excited she is, I remember how it felt to become independent. That first taste of freedom is unforgettable. Now, before you leap to the conclusion that we are excessively wealthy, you need to know that it is a 1990 Pontiac Tempest. Yes, it is 23 years old. It rolled off the assembly line 6 years before she was born. To her, it is perfect. Twenty years from now, she will remember her first car fondly.
We bought the car from her 80 something year old great great aunt. She has decided not to renew her license or drive any longer. She took excellent care of the car. In fact, in 23 years she only put 63 000 kilometers on it. I'm sure when we drove away today she was a little sad. This was her last car.
I don't intend to be this philosophical all the time but I do think it's important to remember the excitement that comes with "firsts". Yesterday when I posted my first blog. I was nervous, worried about looking stupid, yet excited to try something new. What made me want to continue was that sense of satisfaction I felt when I finished and the pride I felt when 3 people commented on it.
I'm going to try and remember this when I head back to the classroom next week. I teach Grade One. Most of my kids will read a book for themselves for the first time when they are in my class. They probably won't grasp the whole idea of what this means but I want to encourage and guide them so that they remember how good it feels to read a book by yourself. Like getting your first car.
Maybe when they see me in the grocery store 35 years from now, they will remember that I loved teaching them how to read. I will remember them by name and this will make them happy.
Take a minute and think.
I'm too old to remember my early "firsts", like my first steps or my first day of school. I do remember my first teacher, Mrs. Herriman. What I remember about her is that she loved us. She was always happy to see us. She was kind and spoke softly and we loved her back. I don't remember exactly what she taught us, but I remember that she made us want to come to school. I see her now in the grocery store and she remembers me. That makes me happy.
I remember the first time I rode on an airplane. My friend Trudy and I booked a trip to Acapulco, Mexico for the March Break. I can't tell you any of the details because this is a family friendly blog, but I definitely caught the travelling bug. I wanted to travel more and see different places.
I remember my first teaching assignment. I was excited and scared, all at the same time. I was anxious to try all the things that I had learned from teacher's college and practice teaching assignments. I wish I could find those kids and tell them that they taught me more than I taught them that year. I would thank them for being patient with me and helping me launch what has become a very rewarding career.
Today we gave "she who shall remain nameless" (aka our daughter) her first car. When I see how excited she is, I remember how it felt to become independent. That first taste of freedom is unforgettable. Now, before you leap to the conclusion that we are excessively wealthy, you need to know that it is a 1990 Pontiac Tempest. Yes, it is 23 years old. It rolled off the assembly line 6 years before she was born. To her, it is perfect. Twenty years from now, she will remember her first car fondly.
We bought the car from her 80 something year old great great aunt. She has decided not to renew her license or drive any longer. She took excellent care of the car. In fact, in 23 years she only put 63 000 kilometers on it. I'm sure when we drove away today she was a little sad. This was her last car.
I don't intend to be this philosophical all the time but I do think it's important to remember the excitement that comes with "firsts". Yesterday when I posted my first blog. I was nervous, worried about looking stupid, yet excited to try something new. What made me want to continue was that sense of satisfaction I felt when I finished and the pride I felt when 3 people commented on it.
I'm going to try and remember this when I head back to the classroom next week. I teach Grade One. Most of my kids will read a book for themselves for the first time when they are in my class. They probably won't grasp the whole idea of what this means but I want to encourage and guide them so that they remember how good it feels to read a book by yourself. Like getting your first car.
Maybe when they see me in the grocery store 35 years from now, they will remember that I loved teaching them how to read. I will remember them by name and this will make them happy.
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Heeeellllllllllooooooooo OUT THERE! Can anybody hear me?
I can't believe I'm finally doing this! I've been reading various blogs for a year now and I've been talking about starting one for a few months. So here I am!
I started today because it's part of my New Year's Resolution. I am going to try to post at least once a week although I'm not really sure what I'll talk about...It's going to be a work in progress. I don't have the faintest, foggiest idea what I'm doing and I've only gotten this far because I "googled it". That's my nephew's answer to everything. If you don't know something, just "google it".
You see, I'm a digital immigrant. I've landed in this digital world and I'm a little anxious. I watch my daughter (who I'm not allowed to talk about on this blog) work a cell phone at lightning speed. She has "followers" on Twitter and Facebook and she is connected to the world at a level that I fear more than I understand. The kids in my class can work the ipads, Smartboards, computers and cellphones to accomplish any number of tasks and they are only 6 years old!
Oh yes...I'm a teacher. A Grade One Teacher at Iroquois Public School in Iroquois, Ontario, Canada. That's the link to the name of my blog. I was raised on chalkdust. My mother was an exceptional elementary teacher for over 30 years. I loved to go in with her every year while she was getting her classroom ready and write on the chalkboard. She had a yellow box with new chalk of various colours. I would practise keeping my printing straight and neat for hours. My mom was an amazing teacher who was always trying innovative things and I honour her and dedicate this blog to her and the example she set for me.
Enough for tonight....I need to lie down. This learning new things is exhausting. Tomorrow, I'll try to put a picture on.
I can't believe I'm finally doing this! I've been reading various blogs for a year now and I've been talking about starting one for a few months. So here I am!
I started today because it's part of my New Year's Resolution. I am going to try to post at least once a week although I'm not really sure what I'll talk about...It's going to be a work in progress. I don't have the faintest, foggiest idea what I'm doing and I've only gotten this far because I "googled it". That's my nephew's answer to everything. If you don't know something, just "google it".
You see, I'm a digital immigrant. I've landed in this digital world and I'm a little anxious. I watch my daughter (who I'm not allowed to talk about on this blog) work a cell phone at lightning speed. She has "followers" on Twitter and Facebook and she is connected to the world at a level that I fear more than I understand. The kids in my class can work the ipads, Smartboards, computers and cellphones to accomplish any number of tasks and they are only 6 years old!
Oh yes...I'm a teacher. A Grade One Teacher at Iroquois Public School in Iroquois, Ontario, Canada. That's the link to the name of my blog. I was raised on chalkdust. My mother was an exceptional elementary teacher for over 30 years. I loved to go in with her every year while she was getting her classroom ready and write on the chalkboard. She had a yellow box with new chalk of various colours. I would practise keeping my printing straight and neat for hours. My mom was an amazing teacher who was always trying innovative things and I honour her and dedicate this blog to her and the example she set for me.
Enough for tonight....I need to lie down. This learning new things is exhausting. Tomorrow, I'll try to put a picture on.
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