I suppose it's time (for BTS)... almost. Hug a teacher...

Ugh. All the "back to school" ads, displays, and so forth. It's too soon, too soon... but I guess it's not. I just feel like it's all crushing the rest of the summer. Which, for the record, is currently rainy. Again. I caved, sort of, to the pressure: I bought a couple of long sleeve tee shirts and a skirt I hope fits from JCPenney online. And I got my new grade book/plan book in the mail. Enough for now. I used to get excited about getting all new pens and pencils and so on, but right now, I don't even want to contemplate it. Things have been, as I'm sure you know, upended this summer in a lot of ways, and I want to do one fun thing (just one would be something) before I have to go back to being "teacherly." 

Am I teacherly? I used to be. All stiff and proper and so on. Now, I just want to be comfortable and to talk about cool books and help kids write better, more interesting things. I guess I've mellowed. I like laughing in class, going with the flow a bit, and trying to promote a sane community in Room 201. I'm about to embark on year 37, so maybe I've gotten into a groove well enough that I am not panicky. 

I'm also not all that hot and bothered by test scores, IEPs, and all the other forms of bureaucratic hoorah. Yes, these things have a place, but I'm not going to lose sleep over them. I know what they are and how to use the information, but I teach students. I talk with younger humans. We will figure it out as we go, and I'll consult the tools as needed, if needed. For the most part, that works. It's probably partly due to the fact that I can "read the room" and see what we need to do to get through each day unscathed and relatively unruffled. That's a goal every teacher ought to have. I'm not all that keen on manipulating data, but it's there and I can talk the talk. Usually, it confirms what I have observed already. That's pretty comforting, actually. 

I used to spend hours reading student files before I met them. BAD IDEA. Having a preconceived notion of a student before you meet them damages the chances of a fresh start, of getting to know the person, instead of the numbers and other people's impressions. Now granted, I've been in the same building as these kids (and many of their parents) all of my adult life, so I have seen them in social context (and heard their names, some of them, over the loudspeaker over and over again...come to the office, report to room such and such...). Still, kids mature. They react differently to different teachers and the subject matter being taught. So, I give them a chance. 

I want them to give me a chance, too. Whatever they've heard (and believe me, there are rumors I'm mean, I give too much work, etc.), I hope they figure it out pretty quickly that I am a human just like they are, and we all need to relax a little and figure things out together. That's the key point, I think: we are co-learners in my room. I'm not going to pontificate, and they are not going to run the show: we are in this together, we have goals to meet, and we may as well buckle up and enjoy the ride. 

I have a CD player in my room, and I have a wide variety of music that most of them have never heard. It's not unusual for them to come in to music. Or, if they are working on something in class, I might choose something for them/us to listen to. Sometimes they hate it, usually they don't mind. Or I let them flip through the cds and choose. If I had my way, I'd have a never-ending coffee pot as well, but there are rules about such things. I try to make our days not "built" for fun, but a comfortable space, both physically and emotionally. 

Some days, it can't be as relaxed as I'd like, but most of the time, if they trust me, things go pretty well and there's no yelling, no top-down discipline, and little lecturing. We talk. Not "hands raised, called on" discussions-- real talk. And often, it goes off topic, but sometimes those conversations are really important, and they deserve the time and space, the grace, to explore what is critical to them right now. We come back to the lesson, eventually. They are more likely to be willing to do so, if they feel they can be heard, can be vulnerable a bit, can ask questions that are right in front of them at the current moment.  

I think that's what's missing in our society today: we need to chill out and just talk. If there's any one thing I want them to take with them after our time together, it's that we need to treat each other like we matter. Because we do. My motto: be a good human. Everything else falls into place.

Have a good one,

C