Powerful Connections

This year is very special to me because I am teaching many of the same kids in grade 4 that I taught in grade 2. Not only have I seen them grow from readers to book enthusiasts (thanks Dawn Ackroyd, your book whispering in grade 3 is inspiring), but I have seen them develop a point of view and a sense of self. The most important thing in my classroom has always been the relationship I form between my students and I. Not only knowing their favorite colour and food, but helping them carve an identity in the classroom.

One of my students, struggled with creating friendships, so I found out about him and became his friend first. Once he and I were friends I would throw “that is so jimmy, he LOVES planes” into classroom conversations until other students picked up on his passion and started commenting on it themselves “Jimmy, the book I’m reading has a pilot in it… Come check it out”. Jimmy felt valued and other students helped him build friendships.

I tell many stories about my family in class… In fact even the parents of my students feel like they know my brothers :). Students will focus on a task for much longer then they normally would if I tell them they may get a “Miss B story” before the end of the day. In fact, we were reading a story in class about showing good character. I have an infamous childhood friend, who would always got me to do things I wasn’t supposed to. Mid story, a student raised her hand and said “I’m sorry to interrupt Miss B., but this story totally seems like something your friend Dodie would do”. Her saying that, not only meant she understood the story (linking her ideas to prior knowledge) but she wanted to share the link with me because she knew I would understand. The other day I was telling a story about my oldest brother and  another kid commented “that is classic Adam, Miss B.”. The point is, they know me… and it’s important for me to know them.

Creating relationships with students should be easy and organic for a teacher. If a student in my class is struggling, I feel it, if they experience success, I feel that too.

I am a human to my students, not just their teacher, which makes my experiences with the kids so much more authentic. They know I make mistakes and that they are welcome to do the same. They know I cry when happy things happen and they embrace it. Because I show my human side, they are more willing to show theirs.

Creating relationships with my students is so much more memorable and powerful than anything I we ever teach them.

 

Passion in Teaching

As a child I used to grab my mom’s long fur coat and throw it over my shoulders. I would stomp into the backyard towards the swing set and start interacting with the imaginary children on the “playground”. “Get down from there Timmy, you know the rules of the playground” “Beth, I just graded your story and it was awesome, you are a budding Judy Bloom”
Now I realized that most teachers don’t dream of doing outside supervision, but as a child I couldn’t wait to experience all aspects of teaching.

When I finished university and was ready to be Miss B., I couldn’t wait! Instantly I fell in love with 25 students and a staff full of characters. I made a lot of mistakes that year and learned a lot of new things. I was coaching every team I could (basketball, volleyball, badminton and track). I slept minimally and often ate corn pops for dinner. Life was great!  (Still is)

As the year progressed, I was worried that students wouldn’t learn about Tunisia’s quality of life and that they wouldn’t all be able to spell metamorphosis correctly. I was up late at night worrying about the plays I should run with the boys basketball team, my gym lesson using inquiry in games and how I was going to help Jeff reach his potential. I worried and worried because I wasn’t sure I was good enough or properly trained to be the kind of teacher those 25 kids deserved.
The principal came to my class at the end of a long day and found me lying face up on my alphabet carpet. I sat up, looked at him and began to cry. I told him I didn’t think I was good enough and that maybe I somehow tricked him in the interview into thinking I was ready. He smiled and told me something very important. He said “Paige, what you teach is less important than how you teach. Students need to be cared for and given the skills they need to help them learn. We hired you because of your passion and joy, not because your unit plans were perfectly laid out.”  Those words have really stuck with me.

My ideals about passion are best described in a quote by Fabienne Fredrickson  “the things you are passionate about are not random, they are your calling.”

I am so happy to have found my calling and overwhelmed each day by the simple pleasure of going to work. I laugh with the kids, I cry when they succeed and I high kick when they get excited.

I know the old adage is “life is short” but in actuality, life is long if you spend it doing something you hate.

Love what you do and take joy in small victories. The rule I learned 5 years ago, that will always be true is: passion is the most important thing you can bring to the classroom.