Why I Teach...

When I tell someone I teach 7th-grade math, they usually look at me like I'm nuts. When I tell them just how much I LOVE teaching 7th-grade math, they look at me like I have seven heads! My job certainly has its challenges; I'll never deny that fact! However, in my humble opinion, there is NOTHING in life as rewarding as teaching. Below is an e-mail I received the other day from the mother of one of my most challenging students. (He also happens to be one of my favorite kids EVER!)

"Good morning! I wanted to drop you a short note to thank you for coming up with such an awesome idea for your latest class project! Matt and I have discussed it, and he is really enjoying this assignment. I think it's a great idea and really gives the kids a small taste of what real life can be like. Now, for the humorous side, he informed me today that he is in financial ruins! He said he couldn't even afford to buy his wife a car! I told him that based on my real life experiences, he should take on a second job, so, he is going to approach you about " picking from the box ", before he has to live in a box, as he put it. I told him you would probobly laugh at him, so don't let him know I already said something to you. I also informed him that moving back in with Mom was definately not an option, he said he didn't even have enough money to come visit!

Now on a more serious note. I can't express enough how appreciated you are! You have made such an impact in both mine and Matt's lives, I know he has been a real challenge, more times than not, but you need to know, deep down he is an awesome kid, and he truly adores you. I believe you have found your true calling in life, and I can only hope that Matt is lucky enough to be graced with more teachers in his future years of school that care even a fraction of what you have. It's a real shame that our school system can't find about 1000 more of you! You certainly have made an impact in at least 2 people's lives that will carry on forever! I have dealt with my fair share of teachers that should have never been given a teaching certificate, and trust me, there are a whole lot more of those around than should be, so when we are lucky enough to come accross a one of a kind such as yourself, you definately deserve some time in the spot light!!!!! Keep up the tremendous work, and know that what you work so hard at does in deed impact and make a difference in some lives, both older and younger! THANKS FOR BEING YOU!!!!!!

Kelly"

Now, would someone PLEASE tell me, how can it get better than that?! (And yes, I was in tears while reading that! LOL)

My thoughts on classroom "management"

I can't count the number of times I've heard teachers say, "I really don't care if the kids like me or not. As long as they respect me, it doesn't matter."

Let me ask you this... how many people do you respect that you don't like? I'll go out on a limb and say zero. At least for me, that's true. Middle school students are no different. They will NOT respect you if they don't like you. That being said, you don't have to be their friend - that's not what I mean. But you should be someone they actually want to be around!

My eyes were opened a few years ago by a student named Carlos - and his entire class. That class was a challenge, to say the least. (Which happens to be my favorite kind, but we'll leave that alone for another time!) Anyhow, in that class were a number of kids that every other teacher complained about constantly. For me, however, they were angels! Homework? Done! (And trust me when I say, I give A LOT of homework!) Please and Thank you? Always. Quiet in class? Constantly. They would never DREAM of acting up in my class! We laughed and learned and cheered each other on the whole year! They were some of my favorite kids!

One day, I found out about a stunt Carlos pulled in another room that sent me into a tizzy. The kids were talking about it and he sat over in the corner with a look on his face somewhere between pride and sheer terror. (Proud the kids thought he was so "cool' and scared to death that I knew about it!) I decided to set aside what we were about to do and discuss the reasons why they acted like angels for me and demon spawn the second they walked out my door.

After a lengthy discussion about the thousand and one reasons they're supposed to act a certain way in school and in public, I finally asked them, point-blank, why they turned into little monsters when they left my room. I mean, anyone that knows me knows that my class is not an easy class. I expect A LOT from my kids and accept nothing less than their absolute best. I refuse to tolerate disrespect of any kind, toward anyone. The bar is set VERY high in my class, so if they can reach it with me, why not everywhere else?

Carlos, in all his middle school innocence, simply raised his hand and said, "Ms. M, you love us."

I'm Curious...

So, I've been reading blogs posted from teachers all over the place. One thing seems to be common in the vast majority of them: they complain about EVERYTHING. From their kids and co-workers to their districts and parents... according to their blogs, they all suck!

It's no secret. I love, love, love, love, LOVE my job. I feel most at home in my classroom, in front of a group of crazy, hormone-laden, completely distractable 7th-graders than I do anywhere else. Of course I have difficult days. Of course some of my kids drive me to the brink of insanity. Of course some of my co-workers do things that make me want to go for the jugular. Of course some of the parents make me scratch my head and ask why they even had kids in the first place. However, even after the most challenging of days, there is NOTHING I'd rather do with my life.

I'm finishing my 5th year at my school. In all that time, I've never gone home and said, "I had a BAD day." There has always been SOMETHING good that outweighed the bad of the day. If you can't find the same in your day, consider another profession!

Some initial thoughts...

So, I regularly post on the "blogs" of our local paper, but often hold back for fear of boring my community senseless. I know they enjoy hearing from me, as there was a post regarding my absence when I went M.I.A. for a while, but just how much rambling about "my kids" can I expect them to take?

I mean, seriously, I don't know many people that are willing to listen to me talk for hours about teaching. That's not true. They'll listen, but who knows if they really care? I figured this might be a great outlet for the million and a half thoughts and stories that zoom through my brain on a daily basis. Here, you can read if you'd like to or not. Comment if you choose, or not. No harm, no foul, right?

I guess I'll start with this: Teaching is my passion. More specifically, teaching 7th-grade is my passion. Even more specifically, teaching 7th-grade math is my passion. It's what I was born to do and I cannot imagine doing ANYTHING else. Period.

Am I underpaid? Yes. Am I overworked? Yes. (Though, that's my choice. More on that later.) Am I stressed? Yes. Would I change a thing??? Nope! (Well, maybe the underpaid part. LOL)