Teaching Ups and Downs

Soooo, I got talked to about classroom control again last week. It was a blow because I thought I was doing so much better. I was pretty discouraged for awhile, making wild threats about quitting and such (in my head only, of course... and maybe to Mama too). Of course, simultaneous with the threats was the knowledge that I'd be over it in a little bit, and right back to loving teaching.

I tightened things up a bit, and got comments from my students about being mean and such ("hey, can you say that a little louder so the headmaster can hear?"), but the end result was that I was able to lead some interruption-free, awesome discussions in class this week!

In British Literature I had one of those rare and treasured moments where one of my kids will suddenly be in awe of the writing, after we've unearthed an underlying meaning or something. "Why don't people write books like that anymore?" he asked. I agreed with the sentiment.

In Classical Literature we had a class-long debate about whether Achilles is really changed at the end of The Iliad, or if he's the same old heartless being. They were really into the debate, pulling in all kinds of evidence from the text. I had three things on the agenda that day, and we didn't even get through the first one. This made my teacherly heart sing for joy (to adapt a Sarah-ism).

In Algebra, it came to light that my most advanced student had caught up to the lower level of the grade above. He got moved up. I was really happy about this because the lower level of the grade above consists of kids I'd had the year before, and I felt a bit on the spot in light of the fact that they're struggling so badly. So I was glad that at least I hadn't failed with this kid (let's not talk about the fact that he's naturally really good at math). However, this kid, who has a fabulous sense of humor, decided that I'd moved him because I didn't like him, and he went on and on about it. He stood at my podium and said, in a high-pitched voice, "Oh students, you're so wonderful! Oh. Except you, Josh. Just leave."

And then, in journalism, when I had them write a story about how Miss Murray beat up a burglar attempting to steal something from her apartment, he wrote the following:

"Last night, at approximately 10:30pm, Miss Murray mercilessly attacked and pummeled a burglar in her apartment using only a mag light, because the thief was trying to [recover] a lost valuable. The burglar, a Mr. Josh W___ was found by police after Miss Murray fled the scene. Following a three hour car chase during which the suspect used a jet ski, a motorcycle, and eventually a helicopter, she was brought into custody. [During questioning] the information she reported was shocking.

Miss Murray was at her apartment to stow a treasure of incredible value: Josh's joy. She had stolen it earlier that day by sending him to a different algebra class, straining his joy into a physical entity which she placed in a box. Josh had broken in to recover his lost joy, but was beaten, and lost his Random spirit to Miss Murray's box that contains his still missing joy..."

Haha. I love teaching:) Full of great learning moments and great humor moments. So the downs ended in ups galore, and I will refrain from submitting my resignation... Until next time I get talked to... At which time other things will again remind me how much I love it... More ellipses... The end...