Evening Primroses, aka Sundrops.
The bees are very pleased.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Semester's End
Well, here I am at the end of another school year. It's amazing how quickly they go by. I get so wrapped up in the day-to-day lesson planning and teaching that it's easy to lose sight of the calendar pages turning. It's been a rough year in some ways... uncertainty about continued funding for my job was a constant stress, juggling a large, multi-level class stretched my classroom management skills, and as always there were one or two problem students that made me want to rip out my hair. But it's been an excellent year in other ways. I've seen enormous progress with so many learners, attendance rates and test scores for my class were at all-time highs, and so many wonderful new people came into my class and brightened up my life with their friendliness and caring. The sweet, kind, warm-heartened students by far outweighed the crabby, complaining, maddening ones. And then there were the wonderful volunteers who came to my classroom and made my job so much easier and more fun... I miss them already now that they've finished their time committments!
For the summer I will continue with the same group of students, so there won't be much change, just a week break and then it's back to work again. But come fall semester and a new school year, I hope that I might be able to teach a different level. It's not that the beginning levels aren't fun to teach, but I think I'm ready for a change and a new challenge. And although teaching the beginning level students is so very rewarding (how powerful it is to teach someone to read for the first time!) it's also very draining. I think for my own good it would be wise to switch to a different level, and I hope I'll be able to.
In the evening, I'll be in the computer lab as I have been for three years now. I continue to enjoy that job immensely, and I'm happy to be able to continue. It's a constantly changing job, especially as technology changes and I need to adapt to the new technology in the classroom. Plus, the evening school students are just amazing! Their motivation to learn and improve their lives is so inspiring. The shame me sometimes with their hard work, juggling full-time jobs (many times with overtime!), 4 nights a week in school, and families too. I feel lazy in comparison... but they energize me! Sometimes I come in to work feeling run-down and unmotivated, but as soon as the students start arriving, the tempo picks up and by the time I go home, I'm in high gear. It's incredible to have a job where I can go home with more energy than I arrived with.
For the summer I will continue with the same group of students, so there won't be much change, just a week break and then it's back to work again. But come fall semester and a new school year, I hope that I might be able to teach a different level. It's not that the beginning levels aren't fun to teach, but I think I'm ready for a change and a new challenge. And although teaching the beginning level students is so very rewarding (how powerful it is to teach someone to read for the first time!) it's also very draining. I think for my own good it would be wise to switch to a different level, and I hope I'll be able to.
In the evening, I'll be in the computer lab as I have been for three years now. I continue to enjoy that job immensely, and I'm happy to be able to continue. It's a constantly changing job, especially as technology changes and I need to adapt to the new technology in the classroom. Plus, the evening school students are just amazing! Their motivation to learn and improve their lives is so inspiring. The shame me sometimes with their hard work, juggling full-time jobs (many times with overtime!), 4 nights a week in school, and families too. I feel lazy in comparison... but they energize me! Sometimes I come in to work feeling run-down and unmotivated, but as soon as the students start arriving, the tempo picks up and by the time I go home, I'm in high gear. It's incredible to have a job where I can go home with more energy than I arrived with.
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