It's on nights like tonight that I really love my job. I love watching the exuberant joy in the skip of a step, in the excitement of showing off their desk, or a penguin made to fit on a penguin graph. The laughter of little girls drawing hearts on the white board, of a little boy showing off his tux, or the chapter books just purchased at the book fair.
That just maybe that Latino girl with her nose in a chapter book as she walks to the bus will someday go to college and become a professional because of something I did in her life. Or the boy, who can barely read, will someday know he is mathematician because he can unconsciously count his flash cards in 2's because of the math culture I built in my room. Maybe the little girl who lives in generational poverty will remember the three school rules, 1)Be responsible 2) Be respectful 3) Be safe and make choices in her life that will lead her out of the cycle of poverty because she felt safe in my classroom. Oh, that they will carry the self confidence they've gained from my positive environment with them through out their lives and be successful because I took the time to build it.
It won't be the Dibels data they remember or the double growth in the STAR Math end of year test. They won't know or care about adequate yearly progress (AYP). Or if they were left behind. Or if they were Reading First. What will matter is that they will be able to think independently, have a work ethic to get the job done,and they will treat their fellow humans with respect and their environment with responsibility.
Hopefully their noses will stay buried in books. They will continue to calculate and do the math unconsciously because they are confident in their skills. And I hope they will fondly remember their 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Holtz, who has loved them through learning, who wants only the best for them. Who would share in all their joy of using their minds to the best of their abilities.
I love these double rainbow days!
No comments:
Post a Comment