Content-ment

So, it is three days in and I am alternating between utter contentment, total passion, lip splitting smiles, finger twitching frusteration, and the type of fatigue that makes everything seem okay -because if things go wrong enough maybe everyone will just leave me alone and let me sleep.

My class is incredible. I have 21 fourth graders (ESL students hoping to go into 5th grade) for two hours a day. I co-teach a math/literacy hour with 3 other TFA trainies from 8-8:55 every morning. Then from 8:55-9:30 I teach reading alone. After an exciting exploration of root words, fact vs. opinion, and passion for learning and work I line my students up and bring them to the bathroom. Then I bring them back into the classroom for another 22 minutes of reading work.

So far I have been having so much fun. Our room name is the Ready To Learn Champions (RTL Champs). The kids have been really invested and I have been keeping my energy level up (when in the classroom) and they have been very interested. Most of their vocabularies are VERY limited, but I am doing everything in my power to expand them. In an effort to do that I have modeled our summer reading units with a detective theme. This allows me to talk about everything they learn as a great gain into unlocking and solving the greatest and hardest to solve mystery of all time: The English Language. Instead of notebooks (which many of my students can't afford) we made case books where they have to write "clues" which involve words, definitions, pnuemonic devices, and word charts. They seem to be eating it up, and, truth be told, I am really enjoying the whole thing. Whenever I get the overhead projector I yell "To the Fact-Symbol!" and i they all start chaotically na-na-na-na-nan-na-nan-na-na-ing until the Class manager throws her hands in the air and everyone sings "knowledge" instead of batman. This keeps their energy up. They also have a class cheer which they scream with such vigor it makes me hope I am not bothering the dead let alone the classroom. But after the cheer the kids are out of breath and enter the Ready to Learn position: hand clasped together on the desk, both feet on the ground, looking at me and trying to smile even bigger than i am smiling.

So basically I am saying I am loving the whole teaching thing, but i am struggleing to cross the language barrier with the content, but WE WILL get there. The kids seem to be having fun and most of them have already read a book since we started!!!!

I have to go to a lesson planning meeting, where I will hopefully get better at teaching content that is age and knowledge-level appropriate (during the first day I got so excited I started talking about the progression of the english language as a germanic language and how Latin and Greek influence it. I had 21 very intregued, totally lost 4th graders). I wanted to just reflect real quick on how amazing everything has been. And to ask everyone to pray for a snowstorm so school is canceled, the humidty goes away, and I can finally sleep more than 2.5 hours a night.

Peace