Maybe I will finish writing all the stories I need to from last school year before this next school year starts...that would be great! haha
My principal approached me near the beginning of the school year and asked me to be in charge of 7th grade day. My first thought was, "NO! Now I won't be able to go to Lagoon with the 8th graders" and I loved doing that my first year. Boo. I also saw it coming somehow. Earlier that year or during the previous summer, I remember thinking, "I hope my principal doesn't ask me to be in charge of 7th grade day. I don't want to!" I joked with my principal that I felt like it was a calling, because I kind of saw it coming and I didn't particularly want it, but I felt that it would be a good experience.
Ironically, I had never attended a 7th grade day because I went to Lagoon the year before, and this was my second year...so I had no idea what it was even supposed to look like or what I was supposed to do...ug. No fun.
Thankfully, the teacher who had run it for the past several years was extremely helpful and provided me with a basic time frame and gave me suggestions and tips from what went wrong the year before. She totally saved me and was such an angel to help me despite all that she had on her plate already.
The day before 7th grade day, I got in a car accident. (Long story short, my sister's car was stolen, so she was borrowing my car and driving me to work and right as we pulled out of my apartment complex we were hit on the left...it was beyond terrible.) My car was deemed a total loss and I was without a car for several days. That was a great trial right before this BIG day I was in charge of.
For 7th grade day, we went to Classic Skating in Orem, came back for lunch and a movie, and then ended the day with kickball outside. It was fairly easy, but I had to be in charge of making announcements and I had to be the EXPERT on the day's activities. People came up to me and asked me what was going on. It was kind of strange.
Classic Skating was great. We had just the right number of buses (5-6) and the kids had fun. I even put on some skates and skated around. Next year I will have to give more explicit instructions on when buses are allowed to leave, because buses just started leaving before I had taken a head count, and I just hoped everyone was there...
At the last minute, with the suggestion of a very helpful and technology-saavy math teacher, I decided to hold the movie (with the popcorn) in the boys' gym instead of in individual classrooms via the classroom televisions. Teachers were NOT happy because they wanted time to work on stuff in their classrooms. I did not feel bad. I didn't get to work in my classroom - I was in charge of the whole event! Besides, that was not a teacher preparation day, it was a day FOR THE STUDENTS. Sheesh. Calm down people. The custodians were beyond happy though because instead of having to pick up popcorn mess in every single classroom that had students, they only had the gymnasium. So, that made me feel better.
Kickball seemed a bit unorganized, and we lost a few items (a ball, a couple of cones...), but thankfully they were returned within the week.
Overall, it was a smashing success! That same math teacher said, "...super job today...I heard from many it was the best day so far for 7th grade day...I heard a lot of people say the kids being able to hang out together [for the movie] was great"
Heck to the yes!
-Ms. Damron-
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Monday, July 8, 2013
Maybe I am making a difference
There were several times this past year when I felt a bit disheartened that nothing I was teaching was getting through to my dear students! I felt like I was wasting time, or worse than that - I was unable to teach in a way that could get through to my students. There are two incidences that encouraged me to keep going and let me know that I was making a small difference.
Near the end of the school year, I finally realized that I needed to make my students apply what I was teaching to their own lives. So, on a more regular basis, before I began a lesson, I would ask the following questions:
How does this apply to you?
How can you use this in your other classes?
Why am I teaching you this?
I waited for thoughtful responses, and then we would go on. (Teacher note - this is a great idea. I feel like it helps your students take more responsibility in what they learn and possibly even care a little bit more!)
One day in 7th period, I started my lesson with these routine questions. One student, who is particularly studious, but attends my homework-help class to relieve anxiety and stress over class assignments, raised her hand and said she had a story to share. She said something like this:
"One day in Spanish class we were watching a movie. I didn't get the answer to question number one and I started to panic and freak out. Then I remembered what we learned in here: Don't freak out. Read a head. You can ask the teacher/other students to help you get the answer later. So I read a head and everything was fine."
I could have cried from sheer pride and happiness. This girl actually applied something I had taught. It was working!
Then, on the last day of school (and I mean the LAST official day when hardly any students come to school and it's basically a classroom clean up day for teachers), one of my 8th grade students from my 1st period showed up. He is always very polite and asked me if there was anything he could help me with. I told him I had it covered, but thanks for offering. He then said, in the most sincere voice, "Ms. Damron - thank you so much for your help this year. It really did change my life and I would have been a wreck without this class." I kind of shrugged it off and said, "Don't even worry about it - I'm just doing my job."
This student looked me in the eye and said, "No. Really. Thank you so much."
I was really touched by his remarks. I may have mentioned him before, but his parents told our school counselor that ever since he was put in special ed, things have really changed for him and he was a whole different kid after that.
It's experiences like these that remind a teacher just why they chose this profession and why they should keep going.
-Ms. Damron-
Near the end of the school year, I finally realized that I needed to make my students apply what I was teaching to their own lives. So, on a more regular basis, before I began a lesson, I would ask the following questions:
How does this apply to you?
How can you use this in your other classes?
Why am I teaching you this?
I waited for thoughtful responses, and then we would go on. (Teacher note - this is a great idea. I feel like it helps your students take more responsibility in what they learn and possibly even care a little bit more!)
One day in 7th period, I started my lesson with these routine questions. One student, who is particularly studious, but attends my homework-help class to relieve anxiety and stress over class assignments, raised her hand and said she had a story to share. She said something like this:
"One day in Spanish class we were watching a movie. I didn't get the answer to question number one and I started to panic and freak out. Then I remembered what we learned in here: Don't freak out. Read a head. You can ask the teacher/other students to help you get the answer later. So I read a head and everything was fine."
I could have cried from sheer pride and happiness. This girl actually applied something I had taught. It was working!
Then, on the last day of school (and I mean the LAST official day when hardly any students come to school and it's basically a classroom clean up day for teachers), one of my 8th grade students from my 1st period showed up. He is always very polite and asked me if there was anything he could help me with. I told him I had it covered, but thanks for offering. He then said, in the most sincere voice, "Ms. Damron - thank you so much for your help this year. It really did change my life and I would have been a wreck without this class." I kind of shrugged it off and said, "Don't even worry about it - I'm just doing my job."
This student looked me in the eye and said, "No. Really. Thank you so much."
I was really touched by his remarks. I may have mentioned him before, but his parents told our school counselor that ever since he was put in special ed, things have really changed for him and he was a whole different kid after that.
It's experiences like these that remind a teacher just why they chose this profession and why they should keep going.
-Ms. Damron-
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