Week three of being a fifth grade teacher is over, and I am still loving my job. Sorry Nicki, Karren, and Becky, not jaded yet! haha. By this time, I've really started to get to know the kiddos from the other two classes. One of the kids, who was previously surly and kind of disengaged, found out that I share his love of Ke$ha, and now I get hugs every day and he has started paying attention more and putting more effort into his work. Hey, if that's what it takes, I will listen to every Ke$ha album in the world in order to hold on to that connection! My attempt at turning a lyric into humor with his this week was, "Hey, what did you feel like when you woke up this morning?"
Student, with a puzzled look: "I don't know, pretty good."
Me: "Wanna know what I felt like?"
Student: "Uhh sure?"
Me: "P.Diddy! I woke up in the morning feeling like P.Diddy!"
The smile on his face told me all I needed to know: mission accomplished!
I have four girls who are not from my homeroom who like to come in my at recess and do "The Cup Song" while I sing along. They think it's super fun, and I don't mind it either. On Thursday we also jammed out to One Direction together. Thank goodness I worked at a summer camp, or I wouldn't have known any of the words! haha.
I think my favorite moment of the week, though, was this conversation:
Students: "Miss Wilke you should come to homecoming parade tonight!" "Yeah come!"
Me: "Oh, I would but I am hanging out with Mrs. Wilke."
Student: "Well good, you can bring her along!"
Me: "Aw sorry girls, we have other plans tonight."
Student who also had my mom: "Wait, you're not married right?"
Me: "Haha...no, no I'm not."
Student: "Well that's just silly, you're so nice, how could anyone not like you?!"
Ladies and gentlemen, the world according to a ten year old! Good thing our guidance lesson next week is about developing relationships...I didn't think math class was an appropriate time to attempt to explain the ways of the world and why being nice doesn't necessarily mean someone will like you and marry you. I mean, I've heard it helps, but I'm no expert!
Although I've hit some roadblocks in the teaching, I am still embracing my role as teacher and lover of mathematics. I've learned that I need lots of patience and understanding, and that it's okay to go back and reteach. The downside to this totally new math series is that it is based on the building up of certain skills and concepts, so some of the lessons ask students to draw on what they learned in fourth grade...but most of my students didn't have this series in fourth grade. So I spend lots of time going back to basics, which is fine because I know if I take the time to do that now, I will gain back that time in the future.
Surmise it to say it was another good week, one in which I worked on the ongoing struggle of finding balance. But at the end of the day, the scale always seems to tip a little more to the positive side :)
Today, I am a teacher.
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