Hello friends!

[severus]

Long time no update! I have a few minutes before I need to leave for work so I thought I'd update everyone on the craziness that has been my life

Comments

[severus]

I hope so too!!

[ghostswaltz]

Sounds like a heck of an experience! My husband has been working at a middle school for almost ten years now (our whole district is low income, sometimes I forget that some schools in this country AREN'T low income haha). He started out as a resource aide and now he's an English teacher and he loves it... everyone always says they don't know how he does it. Middle school is pretty rough. I do elementary and I love it, but I think I'd have no authority whatsoever over junior high kids, some of them look older than me! Anyway, I'm so glad you're loving your job now, it's great that you get to make a difference in the lives of those kids, I bet they all think you're super cool even if it doesn't always seem that way. ;)

[severus]

Our district is HUGE! It covers three very different cities. I did all of my interning in Cape Coral which we joke around with and call the schools "cadillac schools" because most of the kids come from at least upper middle class families. The school I interned with only had 2 students who spoke a language other than english. The school I work at was a HUGE difference for me. So to be in a middle school (which was new to me) AND in a low income school was just extremely overwhelming. But I am loving it so much now.

In fact I found out today that after my training 3 of my students ended up in detention. I talked to them and they were like "We're sorry Mrs. K but the sub was so mean! He's not like you at all!". I know the kids that ended up in detention and they are not bad kids. You just have to understand them.

I totally didn't know you are in Elementary! Are you a teacher? What grade do you teach? I really loved interning in elementary but I love the change of pace in Middle school so much.

[ghostswaltz]

Wow, that's pretty big! Ours is just two cities but we live in an agricultural region and most of our students are children of farm workers, a huge chunk of them had Spanish as their first language, and everyone is on automatic free lunch

[severus]

My fellow 6th grade reading teachers and myself were JUST talking about that yesterday! We're some of the youngest teachers in the school and we all graduated from the same program so we totally understand how much patience they need. For instance I have one student that ended up in detention yesterday with the sub. I know who she is and how she speaks to adults. She always sounds like she has an attitude but she really doesn't, it's just her demeanor. She's always so sweet to me and when I give her a re-direction she listens and doesn't argue. But if you approach her in the wrong way she will give attitude because it's how she was raised. I've met her mother... she's the exact same way

[booksaremyhabit]

good for you! those kids need someone like you, they don't get many people who really care about them or see them as little adults with minds willing to learn

[severus]

exactly! so many teachers want to give up on them and i can totally see why! i just don't wanna be one of them.

[tinklepanties]

I'm so glad you posted. I was one of those low income family kids in school. And I think it's really great that you're there for them because school always seemed like a competition for me that I was never good enough. Mostly via the higher income family kids would look down on me - classiest type things. Kids need the teacher's help more than anything to get through those tough times. It sounds like you're doing a great job so far. Keep up the good work and keep us in the loop!