I can't believe it is the first of the month already! October flew by so quickly and I have a feeling November will be even faster.
I am in a new position this year and while I love my time with the kids, I am feeling overwhelmed with all of the ESE paperwork and rules and scheduling and........LOL.
I am so lucky to have a great team and supportive administrator to work with, but I hate feeling unsure about what I am doing. Yesterday, the staffing specialist and I were chatting. Apparently, I am not doing lots of things the way I should be doing them. Instead of chewing me out, she had already arranged for a training to help another teacher and I learn the correct way. How lucky am I? She kept reassuring me that I can't be expected to do what I wasn't shown. I am really looking forward to being able to sit with a trainer for an entire day and pick her brain. :)
Anyway, after that conversation yesterday, I was feeling a little stressed. Some days it is hard to remember why we do what we do. Tonight though, I got a great reminder. A student I worked with several years ago was at our Fall Festival with his parents. He came up and asked if I remembered him. (Just the fact that he initiated a conversation and maintained eye contact was HUGE!). We chatted for a few minutes and then his mom came over. She shared that her son was in Advanced Reading this year and had an A for the first quarter. Now, when I worked with him, he came to my Intensive Reading class from a self-contained ESE classroom for reading. He struggled, but worked hard. To see where he is today was so encouraging. I told him that HE was the reason I loved my job. He promised to let me know when he graduates from high school. I promised him I'd be there.
Now, for the First Friday Freebie! I love "I Have, Who Has" games. I've created one that reviews words with the suffixes -er, -less, -ful, and -ly. If you would like a copy, click on the picture below and it will take you to the download in my TPT store.
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Happy Weekend!
What a cute activity! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAmy, I loved your story about your past student. Those are the moments that make what we do worth it. I had a student from my first year of teaching stop by my room this year and it is amazing to see what a nice young man he has turned in to.
ReplyDeleteOn a second note, how do I join your collaborative board on pinterest?
The Cornerstone Classroom