The Flood

Sometimes, as a teacher, I feel overwhelmed by a flood of needs.  On Friday I became depressed at the end of the day, when I had to break up a fight in the hallway, then rush out to afternoon duty.   After that I went back to speak with my assistant principal about the fight, as well as another student who should probably go into a day treatment program.  

Going to back to my room, I did some of the mountain of paperwork on my desk, and then looked up to realize I was running behind for my own sons' school event.  I rushed out at 5:20, picked them up from their after school program, and barely made it to the event.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed and overlook the fact that most of the children are doing what they're supposed to, and it's also easy to underestimate the difference a teacher can make by noticing individual  students' talents.

So my day Friday started this way:  I stole some time during homeroom to run upstairs to the 8th grade hall and find a student I taught two years ago at another school.  He is an exceptional young man:  Poised, ambitious, an A student whose family has few material resources but tremendous integrity.  I went to see him because I want him to apply for our district's early college high schools; if he is admitted he could earn two years of college credit at no cost to his family.

When I saw this young man on Thursday, he said his mother wasn't sure about him applying-- I asked him why, pointing out the benefits of the small classes and college credit.  He said "I know, that's what I'm saying."  I could only conclude that his mother didn't really understand the opportunity.  That is why, Friday morning, I took some printed information to him about the programs and asked the 8th grade counselor to be available to answer his mother's questions. By the end of the day the counselor told me he had decided to apply.  Of course, there are no guarantees-- he might not be admitted, or he might decide in the end to attend his regular zoned high school so that he can play sports.  The main thing is, I wanted him to expand his horizon, to have more choices.

Fridays are usually a "mop up" and testing day, when I pull some of my EC students in for individual conferences while we proctor tests.  I check in with some students, help them organize their notes, and give them encouragement.  One young lady lacks self-confidence but has a burning desire to be a journalist; I had pushed her earlier this year to sign up to work on the school newspaper, which she did.  At our conference yesterday we talked about a great website (www.writingkid.com) that lists publishing opportunities just for kids.  With luck, she will get an early start on her writing career.

At lunch we had a little pizza party for a student who is leaving for another school.  He is very bright but his social perceptions are sometimes way off because of his disability.  This has often made it hard for him to connect and to see others' good intentions.  We sat around the table and talked about what we would remember about this student's time at my school.  When I asked him, he said he would remember "That there are good people in the world."

In retrospect, my day had some real high points, but I allowed myself to feel carried away by the flood of circumstances and needs that no one person could ever fulfill.  Yet Monday will bring a chance to try  again!