One thing that I've learned since I've been teaching high school is that it's basically 6 times the amount of kids that I had last year in 1st grade. That could also translate into 6 times the amount of kids that are overwhelmed with everything that life throws at them. And ALL of that equals a bunch more things to worry and stress about.
Last month when I was at a conference in Anchorage with 2 co-workers one of them said to me; "You just have that type of personality where people feel very comfortable talking to you about anything!" That has proven to be very true recently.
It is for that sole reason that I choose to come back next year. Because I know what some of my kids go through on a daily basis and I want to be there for them as much as possible.
Within the past month or so there has been a couple of my sophomores that have really been having a rough time with things. For whatever reason they feel comfortable talking to me about some of the things that they're dealing with. One of them is constantly writing in his journal and has me read it when he's done. The other two have talked to me about everything specifically because they were falling behind in class. I really worry about these three kiddos..and many others.
BUT
They keep pressing on. And that makes me VERY proud of them.
In other news 7 days until SBA/HSGQE testing and ALL the kiddos have been working VERY hard to make sure they're fully prepared for each of the tests. Keep them in your prayers as they get ready for these tests!
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Sunday, March 16, 2014
The Polls Are In...
I'm not sure where I really want to start with this post or where exactly I want to go with it either...so bare with me.
This year it took me a while to decide if I wanted to come back to Chevak for year 4. I was going back and forth and through the list of pros and cons that was causing more stress that its intentions.
It was only when I wasn't actually stressing out on the decision that it came to me. I was actually not even in Chevak when it became so clear to me. This whole month, I have been apart of a tutoring program for the 11th and 12th graders that have yet to pass the HSGQE exam. It has been a very draining process for me but so rewarding as well. It requires the 12 students to get 30 additional hours of tutoring OUTSIDE of school throughout the month of March. Anyway, I was traveling with the boys and girls basketball teams to regionals (since 7 out of the 12 students are in basketball it only made sense that one of us went to avoid them from getting off track). My intentions were to go with the team and then when I returned to Chevak let people know that I wasn't going to be coming back next year. It just had become a constant battle with myself. I wasn't feeling like I was making an impact/difference here, and so I ultimately wasn't planning on coming back.
However, that all changed thanks to the attitudes of some of my kiddos that were on the ball teams. Even in the face of defeat, they never let that radiate through themselves. They never threw their hands up and quit. They didn't change who they were as people based on what was happening in their current situation. One of my kiddos really showed me that throughout the weekend. Even after a tough lose and he still maintained a positive attitude and looked more at how he could improve rather than quitting. At that point, I decided that I too was going to look at things as to how I can improve, rather than giving into defeat.
So long story short, I will be coming back next year. Yes, I still have many doubts about that decision but that is what feels right to me at the current time. Yes, I know that there are people that will disagree with this decision for whatever reason but hopefully they can still be supportive of me.
This year it took me a while to decide if I wanted to come back to Chevak for year 4. I was going back and forth and through the list of pros and cons that was causing more stress that its intentions.
It was only when I wasn't actually stressing out on the decision that it came to me. I was actually not even in Chevak when it became so clear to me. This whole month, I have been apart of a tutoring program for the 11th and 12th graders that have yet to pass the HSGQE exam. It has been a very draining process for me but so rewarding as well. It requires the 12 students to get 30 additional hours of tutoring OUTSIDE of school throughout the month of March. Anyway, I was traveling with the boys and girls basketball teams to regionals (since 7 out of the 12 students are in basketball it only made sense that one of us went to avoid them from getting off track). My intentions were to go with the team and then when I returned to Chevak let people know that I wasn't going to be coming back next year. It just had become a constant battle with myself. I wasn't feeling like I was making an impact/difference here, and so I ultimately wasn't planning on coming back.
However, that all changed thanks to the attitudes of some of my kiddos that were on the ball teams. Even in the face of defeat, they never let that radiate through themselves. They never threw their hands up and quit. They didn't change who they were as people based on what was happening in their current situation. One of my kiddos really showed me that throughout the weekend. Even after a tough lose and he still maintained a positive attitude and looked more at how he could improve rather than quitting. At that point, I decided that I too was going to look at things as to how I can improve, rather than giving into defeat.
So long story short, I will be coming back next year. Yes, I still have many doubts about that decision but that is what feels right to me at the current time. Yes, I know that there are people that will disagree with this decision for whatever reason but hopefully they can still be supportive of me.
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