Memories for life

Today really was a beautiful day in terms of academic growth. I watched the bloom of understanding blossom before my eyes and it truly was incredible. I'll start with little G. Though G is really quite sharp, she is easily distracted and sometimes moody. Her English skills are weak, which I believe is the reason for her lack of engagement. But I have found that Math is such a rallying point for all of my babies, including G. Because Math deals primary with numbers, even those children with almost no English skills can perform well. Yesterday, I taught G how to multiply two digit numbers. It was so neat to see her start the hour without the school and end it with it. What was a double blessing was her excitement over her success. She told me today that she had gone home last night and showed her mother how she had learned to multiply. I was so proud of her.

Than there is Jo. I have mentioned Jo before and he does have a special place in my heart. He has a sweet spirit and I really empathize with his struggle to succeed in an English only classroom as a Spanish speaker. But today, we were working on division, a skill that even my strongest Math Masters struggle with. I admit that I didn't have very high hopes for Jo going into today. He didn't seem to be grasping how to use the multiplication table I had given him and he is unable to add even the most elementary of sums without using his fingers. However, something clicked today. He began to make connections with his times table chart and utilized it in solving division problems. He solved one after another, a huge grin on his face. When I stumped him with remainder problems, he raised his hand for assistance. I sat down on the floor with him (yes, I still struggle with professionalism) and showed him the steps. After I was confident he understood the process, I handed him back his dry erase board. With a gentle smile and excited eyes, he said "Thank-you." My heart skipped a beat with love for him. This was the kid that G called slow the other day. Here he was, besting my best math students. It was excellent reminder regarding the dangers of labeling students. After we broke up small groups, I announced his success to the class so he could be recognize for his achievement. A few hours later, as I was teaching reading, my joy was made complete when M used Jo as example of how a character can improve in something: "It's like Jo--he started off not so good in math and today he did great." The class clapped for Jo and I was so proud I could have cried.

Then little Y made my day just perfect. Like Jo, she struggles so much with the English language, but she is so adorable. I admit she holds such a special place in my heart. She consistently scores well below her classmates in school, but I believe it is largely because of her linguistic challenges. Today, I was teaching about dynamic character traits and was reading the book Crow Chief. Y was talking out of turn so I had no choice but to administer a consequence. She responded by covering her head and lying on the desk in despair. I told her she needed to sit up and she ignored me. After I moved her pin down but she continued to ignore my request, I decided to try another approach. I had one of the students pick up where I had left off in my oral reading and read to the class. Meanwhile, I took Y into the hallway and had a little conference with her. I explained that I was not upset with her but that she needed to make good decisions and follow the rules of our classroom. I explained to her that she was a valuable part of our classroom team, but could not be distracting other students. I really encouraged her to make good decisions the rest of the day and try her best. Her spirits really lifted and she returned to her desk, sitting properly. However, as the period progressed, she did not fill out her assessment as the other children did. Not wanting to give her a zero, I asked her what the problem was. She told me she didn't know what to write. I have found that most of my students can express answers orally, but really struggle to write those answers down. I therefore questioned her orally and noted how she knew the answers, but just needed to write them on paper. She really surprised herself and got really excited. She wanted to write down the correct answer word for her word so she borrowed the class book. Meanwhile, E needed help, just as Y was finishing. I got up to help E when I hear Y say "Miss Bren-sil, can I show E how to do it?" I tried to keep my voice steady as I responded in the affirmative. It was so incredibly moving to watch my student that consistently scores the lowest in my class, give aid to one of my most academically successful students. As the two girls paged through the book, Y put her hand on E's back as a gesture of encouragement. I doubt I shall ever forget that scene. My cup runneth over.