Thankfulness...

I am sincerely thankful for the role that I have in the lives of the students and families that I teach. For just a brief moment, I'm able to help guide and mold my students and help them to become a part of a functioning society.

I have one student this year that takes all of my energy and my focus. And truth be told, there are moments where I struggle with how to handle him and I honestly think that if he just stayed at home for a few days, it would help the entire class out - me included. There are days where I go home utterly exhausted because I have spent 90% of my day correcting or dealing with inappropriate behavior. I haven't let up - nor do I plan on it - and I pray that one day soon he will determine that he has met his match in me.

However, I am thankful that I have this challenge. It is helping me to become a better disciplinarian and it is forcing me to document and reflect on my actions as an educator.

I am extremely thankful and blessed for my school. I've taught in many places, but I have yet to find a place like TES. I've written before about how this place is a breeding ground for collaboration and creativity. I don't think that I would be half the teacher I am today if not for the leadership of my administration.

I'm thankful for the unexpected joys throughout my day of students who finally "get it." The tiny fist pumps in the air when a math problem is worked correctly, the smiles when a partner finally understands what it is they are to do.

I'm thankful that I have a job to go to every day when many around me do not, but more importantly, I'm thankful for a job that I LOVE!

What I Am...

I stumbled across this fantastic video on another blog that I follow. I immediately thought about how I could use this in my classroom. The lyrics are powerful and I am thankful for shows like Sesame Street that get this message out to kids at an early age. Even though it is a show geared for younger audiences, my 5th graders need to hear this on a regular basis. They struggle with finding their identity before middle school.

My initial thoughts are about using this in writing. I do a lot of powerful writing in the beginning of the year to help me understand what type of families my students come from. We do this by writing "Where I'm From" poems based off of the work of George Ella Lyon. I didn't do that this year because I had a handful of students for the 2nd year in a row. This song got me to thinking that I could use this for students to write a form of a Bio poem or an "I Am" poem. I can't wait to flesh things around a bit and use it. I am more excited about how this type of music will influence the writing of my students.