new faces

    I'm feeling good about being in my second year of teaching. I like to joke that I am an expert in how NOT to run a classroom, but I am proud of taking last year's struggles and using them to make positive changes.
    I had the exciting opportunity recently to catch up with someone I haven't seen in years. We talked a lot about my job. She asked what I think helps the children the most, and was surprised by my answer: PROCEDURES.
    My students are too young to set up their own structures for success, so I need to organize them. When I started the school year, anyone who walked in would comment on how my whiteboard was bristling with posters titled "morning routine," "how to sit on the floor," and the like.
    I am still amazed at how much thought and time it took to figure out the minutiae of classroom life, such as: What do students do if a pencil breaks? How should students move from their desks to the floor for a read-aloud? How do I want homework written down? and countless other questions.
   All that time and thought has paid off, however. I feel that students are calmer, happier and more focused on learning as a result. Yes, there are still procedures and routines that are not automatic and need trouble-shooting. Yes, there are still problems. But compared to last year, my class runs like a dream.
   Here are some of my new students, in no particular order:
   Pirate is small, with a mop of black hair and fetching gray-green eyes. He can be sweet and well-mannered, or slightly cocky. Focus is a minute-to-minute struggle with him.
   Cherish is the cousin of Willow, my student from last year. I can count on a hug from her at the end of every school day.
    Pup is a twin, living in a foster home. He can be sweet and respectful, but also clingy and whiny.
    Deutsch spent most of his life in Germany. He went to an alternative school where students got to pick whatever they wanted to learn, so I think it's a shock for him to land in a school where you have no curriculum choice. Reading and writing are an enormous struggle for him.
     Quarterback is bright, but a handful. He is not afraid to speak out, which can create conflicts with other students. He and Missy in particular don't get along. Quarterback will only do work if he feels like it -- and he spends most of his time drawing.
     I also work daily with my partner teacher Puakenikeni's class, which is full of interesting personalities as well. Just haven't assigned them aliases yet ...

lessons for the teacher

   A month into the school year, and I've already identified who in my room will need special care and attention.
   Last year, my class included Berry, who struggled to deal with his anger. This year, Lion is showing similar problems.
   I took the class out for their very first P.E. session on Friday, which was the cause of much excitement. While we were getting set up, Lion kicked Ant. So hard that Ant was doubled over. When I questioned Lion, he claimed that Ant had said something like "Let's play rough" and that was why he kicked him.
   Lion got agitated and began scooping up small rocks from the ground. He threw a few at the class.
   One of those classic monents when you realize you have to do something quickly, but what? We're in the middle of the field, with no easy access to a phone. To get to a phone to call the counselors, I'd have to leave the class on the field. But I did not want to leave Lion there too, especially when he had a handful of rocks.
    My friend's classroom is closest to the field, so I decided to see if I could use her phone. While I was reluctant to take Lion into a room full of kids, I knew it'd be worse to leave him alone. It took some coaxing in a very soft voice, but I got him to move away from the class and follow me to my colleague's room.
    We weren't far from the door when I looked up and saw the principal walking in our direction. Hallelujah. Admin carries walkie-talkies. I asked if she could call the counselors, but she ended up talking to him herself.
     I'm wondering what lesson I need to learn. These children who are struggling with a volcanic anger are being placed in my path. How do I help them? And what am I supposed to learn from working with them? 
    

update

I've been itching to write about this year's bunch, but until someone adds an eighth day to the week, a detailed post will have to wait. For now, some quick news:

1. New-teacher rule #33332: Even upper-elementary students have a fascination with Band-aids. I made the mistake of bringing a box of colorful ones to school (ran out of the standard-issue type), and was annoyed to find two boys (uninjured) sporting band-aids they had filched out of the box. Rookie mistake was to hand one student the box because he needed one. In the future, I will dispense.
2. It makes me sad when one of my students (a problematic one, to be true) gets bounced back to me one morning. Let me add that he was bounced back to me without the courtesy of a phone call -- just showed up at my door. I had to call his sixth-grade teacher to find out what she wanted me to do with him. I ended up talking to him, providing him some materials for his simple homework assignment, then sending him on his way about an hour later. Sigh. I know she was frustrated with him (I was last year!) but it makes me sad that he went through that on the 10th day of school. Guess it's a good reminder for me to be patient with my own students ...