My friends, it is 4th quarter!! It's hard to believe that April is upon us and I really only have 6 weeks left of school (instructional weeks that is). As difficult as this school year has been, I have grown as a teacher and an individual. Saint Michael has provided me with children that love me and new friends that support me. It's an amazing experience! There have been ups and downs, but I would not trade it for the world.
4th quarter is here and I finally feel like I have a grasp on how I like my class managed. This group of kids took me awhile to figure out what was best for everyone. I'm able to teach more and discipline less. My students are holding each other accountable for things that happen in the classroom. It's truly wonderful. My students have taught me how to break down frustration on the spot without showing it. They have taught me to have a sense of humor and to laugh sometimes when it's silly. Most of all my kids have taught me to appreciate the small successes (and when I say small, I mean small). For example, one of my students took months to finally remember that the word congruent means the same! Let's just say I jumped up and down a little bit. :) One day, my entire class asked for more time to write (30 minutes instead of 20)! This includes my students who typically write a few sentences. This includes my class that complains about writing for 15 minutes! Needless to say, I am still ecstatic. I could go on about my students forever, but I won't totally bore you.
As for my secondary life....
Outside of school I play a lot of games with other teachers to fill spare time. On a typical day I am at school about 12 hours, but I sleep a lot on Saturday (and then off to work). I have basically stopped going to church here and listen only to the Podcasts that I receive from the church in Oregon that I attended. I went walking across the ocean about a month ago with my friend. We got to see all of the little ice craters and experience the sudden fear of "Is the ice cracking...?" It's been a warm winter. I've been able to wear my light jacket and gloves recently. It stays in the teens and sometimes reaches 20 or 30 degrees above zero!! It's practically shorts weather. The snow is melting and everything is getting a little slushy. My guess is that the snow and ice will be pretty much gone by the beginning of May. The warmer weather and lighter days are making all of the students very antsy and have unimaginable amounts of energy. There will still be so many changes within the next 2 months (energy, light, growth, etc.).
Other news....
I got to meet my niece for the first time during Spring Break. It's such a weird feeling to know that I am an aunt. My sister is a mom! I still haven't grasped the whole idea yet, but that baby is so very precious. I am excited to see her grow.
Regarding next year....
I will be teaching in Saint Michael again next year. However, I will not be teaching 4th grade....I will be teaching Pre-k (4 year olds). This is just a switch that the school wanted me to do for the next year. It's not my ideal age, but I know I will learn so much from being in there with the little guys. As of right now, my students don't know that I won't be teaching 4th grade. I am not telling them until the beginning of May. Thank you to all of those people that helped me make my final decision and dried my massive amounts of tears. It was a long process, but I'm glad I'm staying.
Well, my friends, there have been breakthroughs and there have been breakdowns, but in the end, I have 14 kids. They are mine. They are wonderful. I will be sad to see them move on to 5th grade (only because I want them!). Time moves quickly when there isn't time to waste.
