Reflecting on Another Year

Well, Year 2 is in the books.

I remember starting this year thinking it would be my best yet, and in many ways, it was.  The team I worked with became a strong group of colleagues and friends.  We worked so well together, and always supported each other.  My students were challenging, and the last weeks of school brought many frustrating tears.  But in the end, I loved each and every one of them and deep down, I could tell they loved me, too.  

It's funny how the course of one school year can bring about so many changes.  A colleague of mine shared the goal of being in a public school, and we had our eye on the same district.  In February, I attended a job fair, and by spring I had four interviews and two job offers.  So, I am pleased to tell you that next year, I will be making a jump from teaching 3rd grade up to 6th grade.

The last day of school was a bittersweet one.  My students had seen me packing up all of my things, wondering why I have to move everything.  It wasn't until the last day of school that I announced to my students that I was leaving.  As I was telling them, I started crying, which triggered many emotions from my students, including many tears.  Lots of hugs were shared and some students didn't want to let go.

 I will truly miss these gals!

It was a very weird feeling to turn off my lights and lock my door for the last time.  I will miss my first classroom, and my first school!

 As I embark on this new journey of 6th grade, I am both excited and scared.  But I know that everything I experienced in the last two years have prepared me for this moment.  So bring it on!  :)

Love my job? Yes, yes I do!

We have moved on from World Geography to bigger and better things... SCIENCE!  Now, I am not usually too fond of teaching social studies OR science, but I have to say... this year I LOVE it!  I think it has something to do with teaching the Core Knowledge curriculum, rather than teaching straight to the standards.  Read about my new-found love with Core Knowledge in this post.  What I love about Core Knowledge is that we get to teach super-fun topics (like our latest- Classifying Animals), but our state standards are still embedded within the topics.

I had this "AH-HA!" moment today.  Kids keep coming up to me lately saying, "Miss Woodward, look!  I found the word equator in my book!"  Or, "Miss Woodward, I'm reading the Komodo Dragon book.  Yep, it's a reptile, so it must be cold-blooded."

OR.... this little guy, who chose to spend his free time making a venn diagram, instead of drawing flowers and zombies like the rest of his classmates.

Yep, that's a venn diagram comparing warm-blooded animals and cold-blooded animals.  ((Aside from the fact that octopus and fish are not reptiles, can we just take a moment to acknowledge that he did this totally on his own, without guidance from me?  Pretty neat, if you ask me.))

And then it hit me- How COOL is it that these kids are so interested in science and social studies?  How COOL is it that my ELLs are using content- specific vocabulary in their everyday language?  How COOL is it that they spend their few free minutes drawing venn diagrams?  How COOL is it that they read the animal books I brought and are able to tell me if the animal is warm- or cold- blooded, and a vertebrate or invertebrate?

I must be doing something right.  These kids are on their way to becoming lifelong learners.  They are making connections.  They are letting the knowledge stick in their brain.

And I LOVE it!

What moments have you had that totally reinforce why you became a teacher?

Until next time,

-Miss Woodward