Back to the Basics

When I was working on my Master's in Teaching, one of the main tenets of my program at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont was reflective teaching. This meant quite simply that we were to spend time writing about what we did that day, what worked, what didn't work and think of ways to fix it for the next day. While I was teaching my fourth grade class, I was very good at this...I had to be because it was all going to be incorporated into my final portfolio project. This project called "Knit One, Purl Two: A Guide to Knitting Knowledge" which was the inspiration for the title of the blog. Also, as anyone who knows me will tell you...I live to knit!

When I moved to La Pasa in the Fall of 2006, there was not a full time teaching position here for me at Alma De La Rosa (a 50/50 Bilingual school), but the principal assured me that if I stuck it out as a paraprofessional, he would give me a class of my own in the fall of 2007. So for a year I didn't eat much as paraprofessionals are barely paid...but that was alright with me, I was waiting for what was next.

As I began the 2007 - 2008 year, I dived into my class and the curriculum. I had a four/five combo class. On top of that, I taught third grade science for an hour in the afternoon. Think about that: three grades to plan for each week, three different sets of standards to become familiar with and on top of that, English was the only the second language of most of my students (Espanol was the first). It was daunting. I spent most of the time with my head buried in the curriculum and not trying to think outside the box. So, I was not very good about reflection (like, at all.) It was a very stressful year (as any first year teacher's would be.) Epic might be a good descriptor. By February, there was barely any sleep to be had. I ended it, ready to put it behind me, take what I had learned and begin the next year.

I had a better situation for 2008 - 2009. I was going to be teaching ONLY the English component of the fourth grade (my FAVORITE) and I was going to have a Co - Teacher to teach the Spanish component. I was so excited to be working with a partner again the way I did when I was teaching in Bennington, but mostly I was excited about only teaching one grade at a time. It was amazing. My Co - Teacher, Sophia was a constant source of support and I was getting back to stepping outside of the box with my lesson planning. We had a great crew of fourth graders, many of them I had known since I began working at Alma De La Rosa. I was happy!

Why the past tense you may ask? Because at the end of January I was pulled from my fourth grade classroom and put into the sixth grade classroom! The sixth grade teacher at the time, we'll call her "Teacher Ronda" (not her real name, but it is true that she has the kids call her "Teacher _______ ," which I think is absolutely ridiculous, but that's not the point right now) was so incompetent the principal Sr. Callejo could not let her continue in that position. I was asked to take over because I was in one of classrooms with two teachers and because Sr. Callejo knows that I like to teach with a strict routine...which is exactly what he thought these kids needed. My fantasy world came crashing down!

As my stress level over the past few months has begun to rise again and the hours of sleep a night continue to dwindle, it dawned on me that it had been three years since I had written about my daily life as a teacher. In the past, after nights of no sleep it has been suggested very nicely to me by amazing boyfriend of two years from here on out known as The Boy, that perhaps I should to go speak to someone (i.e. get my head shrunk). Reluctant to go that route (though too terrified is probably the more accurate description) I realized after reading my very dear friend (and !Swingle Sister!) Erin's blog that perhaps going back to the basics would be a less drastic option. (Another plug: my friend Shani has also started a fun food blog!)

It's almost (actually not quite at all) unfortunate that school will be ending in five weeks. But that's alright. I have all summer to learn how to code and perhaps not sound so boring in these posts. This summer, I have a house to put together, (we FINALLY close tomorrow) a clase de espanol to take through the community college, a puppy to buy and hopefully some road trips!