Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Support from Surprising Sources

As the previous entry states, I've been up since way-too-early this morning. Grad school is slowly taking over my subconscious and making it impossible for me to enjoy a full night's sleep.

By the time I got to school this morning I was feeling ready for a long nap. Instead, I decided to start a small poetry project with my students. In the poems, they were supposed to complete statements such as "I feel," "I fear," "I wish," and "I want to see." They brainstormed independently for about five minutes, then shared their ideas.

Two students had written "I want to see Ms. Armstrong graduate." This surprised me because I have only mentioned the fact that I'm graduating one time several weeks ago. I asked them what made them think of that. Several members of the class started talking about how I have been working on my classwork during lunch and right before and after school. My loudest student's voice rose above the others: "We always see you, Ms. Armstrong."

It's true. The kids are always watching. Often you're teaching without realizing it. And today, they gave me just enough kick with their well-wishing that the next few days of work seem like a piece of cake.

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