I read a post the other day that said the time between Winter Break and Spring Break is the best time of year in the classroom. I wasn't so sure, given where I live it's the worst part of the year weather wise. As I reflected on this idea over the past week, I started noticing how it is a great time for learning; Routines are established, I know my students really well, students know what is expected and are working together. It's a time of year to see growth, academic and otherwise.
This week I am proud to say that every one of my students read a book that was a level higher than they had previously read. I was also thrilled with the growth of one student who rarely speaks, when he absolutely came alive after making a dragon puppet in preparation for Chinese New Year! He felt more at ease speaking through the help of a prop! The greatest growth I witnessed this week was not academic, yet it's what made me beam from ear to ear. I saw tremendous social growth in my most challenging student! This student has a laundry list of challenges/struggles/problems/issues/disadvantages, whatever word you'd like to choose. I usually choose challenges, because that puts the responsibility of making change back on me as a teacher not onto the student.
This student started the year as the most violent, angry, out of control child I have ever work with. I will even admit that I was pretty scared of him and in October wondered how I would make it through each day, let alone to the end of the year. In the beginning of the year I had to keep all scissors and pencils away from him because these items would become a weapon. This student would run around the classroom yelling, kicking, and destroying any items in his path. He would not participate in any aspect of the day, and would not play with any other children. Luckily our school his family and I have all been working together to get him the help he needs to be successful. It has been hard and there are daily successes and setbacks. Here is the growth that happened this week, he started joining in! When he walked into school one day this week he looked around, noticed a student was absent and said, "Awww, where is my friend? I miss him." He sat with me while his other friends were resting to make a project that he had missed out on and used his scissors safely and correctly and said, "I am so strong." I told him, "you really know how to be safe with scissors now!" He responded that he was as good as scissors as I am and that he is "going to be a man teacher" when he grows up. SO MUCH GROWTH!
Chinese New Year is right around the corner and it has been the focus of our learning. One emphasis of preparing for the new lunar year is to clean out your home to get all the bad luck out and to make room for all the luck and happiness the new year has to offer. I use this as an excuse to have my students take ownership of their space and they help clean our room and reorganize a bit. As we were cleaning up I realized I was glad for the growth my most challenging student provided to ME as a teacher. His behavior makes me reexamine how I interact with him, and have to fight my instincts of how to respond to him daily. What a gift of growth he has given me! I would have never made these changes if not for him. It is hard work to be sure, but worthy of my time and energy. So as the new year approaches, I am happy to sweep our old challenges out to make room for all the happiness and luck the new year brings!
