This has been a...well lets just say challenging week for me. There have been a few different issues that have made me start to get wary of teaching. This has happened a few times to me over my past nine years. However, I read a great blog post on how to deal with people who frustrate you. The author, David Cain, suggests to look at everyone frustrating you as testing you. It really works. But I needed more. I am feeling defeated in a lot of ways, so it was going to take more than a Jedi mind trick this time. I resorted back to an old favorite. A list. Ok, I'm a list maker. I love a good list. It's weird, because my space, classroom, etc, ist not all that organized, but in reality, I love a list. So I got started. And you know what, I felt better. I remembered that it is first, foremost, only for that matter about my students. I realized my frustrations were all linked to things outside my classroom walls. The students were my saving grace. Looking at their faces as we discussed Muckrakers or the Fiscal Cliff, with all their enthusiasm brought me back. The amazing projects they did for their assignments continue to go above the high standards we set in the beginning of the year. But beyond that it was more. It was the extra things they did. It was the food drive we are running where even at my school of 62% poverty we still collected over 30 copy paper boxes full of food. It was the hundreds of dollars we collected for the Red Cross and victims of hurricane Sandy. It was beyond the three carloads of coats that we are donating. It is their selflessness that gives me hope in the future, and gives me my reason to teach.
Last year, some female students and I started working out after school with the intention to practice healthy habits. This year, the number has more than tripled with more girls coming each day. Their committment and willingness to try new workouts gives me pause to think how adaptive the students are and how excited they are to be challenged. It reminds me of my why. Why I got into all of this. Why I try to find new lessons everyday. Why I spend a few hours looking for new technology and increasing my PLN. Why I want them to be better, but more importantly why I want to be better for them.
Yes, it can be a tad bit daunting, overwhelming, and just downright frustrating. I liked how you flipped the frustration right on it's head and handled it like a experienced pro. It's like that quote I've been hearing lately: "I control the weather in my classroom", and it's true! Keep doing the "Great Work" and remember to reward yourself for getting through another week!
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