Bounce…. bounce… bounce… goes the soccer ball against the wall during recess, the tennis ball between 5th and 6th grade as they play some version of racquet ball minus the racquets, and Miss Jenna as she goes from Kinder to 2nd, to 1st, then to 3rd, then to Prepa, plus lunch, and lastly to 4th all in a day. There is no profession in the world as exhausting as teaching and nothing quite like being a teaching chameleon in a variety of classes. You learn to adapt to the subject, the teachers, and the students’ needs. But what I’ve learned is that while it may be tiring, it is as equally entertaining and rewarding.
As the lower school resource teacher, I get to see half the school on almost a daily basis. I learn how to count with Kinder, practice my times tables in 3rd, refresh my addition skills in Prepa, practice my long division skills in 4th, and review my place values in 1st. All in a day I can help challenge some of the brightest kids in the school while also help teach some that struggle with the most basic of literacy concepts. Each child I work with is unique. Their abilities are varied and motivations different. Some of them are so excited to see me coming down the hall they run screaming my name, while others begin to sob when they see me knocking on their teacher’s door. I’ve had kids tell me jokes, make up stories about fake twin baby brothers in their house, approach me sobbing because they didn’t want pasta for lunch that day, or give me half their package of cookies for no reason.
My day is constantly changing. It is full of complicated characters, alternating plot lines from each class, but filled with the underlying theme of providing the best possible education for every child that walks through the front doors.
Check out Miss Jenna’s photo diary from her Day in the Life project here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153512977621461.1073741857.4…
