As February Ends

The second semester of school has started off to be much more hectic than the first. I remember in high school that when spring came, I was never in school and it was constantly a mass pile of make-up work--now I understand what make-up, catch up, and trying to never fall behind looks like from the other side of the desk. Maybe because it is my first year, I feel like there will never be a time where I am completely "caught up" on all of my work, or maybe this is just how life works. I'm not entirely overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork that never ceases, but the INTJ in me is always trying to figure out how to work more efficiently. I don't want to get to the end of my life, look back, and realize that all I did was work. Yes, work makes me very happy--and even more so, teaching is so much more to me than work, it is my life. But I am in a constant search to find the divide between my teaching and my home life--right now I'm not sure if there is or ever will be a clear separation of the two. 

Everyday in the classroom presents an incredible challenge and at this point I think I have learned as much about patience as my students have learned about English. Teaching is an opportunity to motivate and inspire--I've never felt more alive in the world yet dead from exhaustion all in the same moment. Having a classroom, being responsible for the education of a child, multi-managing every part of a day--so much goes into this job. In high school, and middle school, I never knew exactly why I loved and respected my teachers so much. Sure they were always there for me and were fun to learn from, but a part of me never knew how much they were doing for me and my friends that I didn't know about--but the relentless personality shined through in everything that my teachers did. Their tenacity and love for us and their jobs and disciplines--that is what made them great. I hope to measure up to be half as great as my teachers and professors were--to be frank, the bar is set quite high. I think of some of the best qualities that my teachers had that I am always working to incorporate into my classroom:

• I want my students to feel like my classroom is a place where deep discussions can happen--everyone has a voice and a valid opinion. 
• When my students write an essay that merits an "A", I want them to feel like they should frame it--because they worked that hard and drafted that much. 
• My door--I hope my students always feel like my door is something that is open and that they can walk through to discuss their hopes, dreams, troubles, and aspirations. 
• I hope that when my students leave in June that they can feel like they enjoy reading and writing. Whether it be magazines, journaling, articles, young adult books--I just want my students to find something about literacy that they enjoy and will use everyday. 

Right. So this is just a piece of my classroom and my thoughts about school. I guess I felt compelled to write my thoughts down because my classroom and my students are always on my mind in one way or another. Sometimes I wonder if there is a switch to like turn my thoughts about school off and then I realize that it's okay if there isn't. As long as I am helping my students learn and I am happy in what I'm doing, I will let my mind work through generating ideas and solving problems. 

We started reading Into the Wild in my AP class and I think my students are really enjoying the book. I remember reading the book on my own in high school and of course wanted to leave all of my possessions, take a backpack, and start hiking across the US (I still do...not much has changed). I want my students to get excited about literature (especially non-fiction literature) and be inspired to think past the first reading. We have read other novels in my classroom, but this is the first time that I have really felt that my students are genuinely digging as far as they can into the novel and how it makes them think about their lives. Watching the light come on for my kids is a great experience--you should check out the book, the movie, or both. 

I find out in a couple of weeks if I will be returning to Houston Institute to work this summer. Institute, outside of Chile, is my favorite place to be in the world (at least it was last summer). There is something about the environment and the people that make a challenging situation very rewarding and extremely purposeful. I don't know how to describe it--life at Institute is captivating. 

I hope on this Sunday your hours are enjoyable and your day fulfilling. 

LAW