Fall Renewal

Spring is usually the time for cleaning out closets and one's life, metaphorically speaking of course. However, this fall has been such a time for me.

I am teaching again! The best part is that I love it!

All summer I was mulling over my decision to resign. I even taught a summer enrichment program part-time, just a few hours and days per week, for a month, at a different school. It went very well. I spent the following month fasting for Ramadan and engaged in self-reflection. What do I want to do with my life, at least in relation to a career? I spent too many years going to graduate school in the evenings while struggling to learn to teach. It just felt too soon to quit for good.

I applied and enrolled in a university graduate program in another field, somewhat related, social work. It felt right, but not quite right. Once September rolled around and all of my teacher friends started their conversations about professional development, preparing their classrooms, and getting other things ready for the kids, I felt a sense of sadness set in. I wanted to be with the kids, teaching. I didn't want to spend two nights a week taking more classes for a degree that I wasn't sure I wanted that would put me deeper in debt. After all, I already changed careers many times and this last one handed me a pay cut that I still have yet to recover from six years later.

I was despising having to pay for my own health care as well. So, I decided to give substitute teaching a try, again. I signed up for the "training." Three days of mundane, unpaid, disorganized, belittling training. I made it through one and a half days. This was due to the fact that I found a position available at a former school and decided to ask for reinstatement as a full time teacher. Through some serious string pulling, I got the position and started just three days later, teaching 2nd grade. My first grade position. Though, it is only through the holiday season as the other teacher is on maternity leave. It has been a fabulous re-entry back into the classroom.

I have renewed my love of teaching! I always feared being a classroom teacher. I was fearful of having the same group of kids all day. But, I've found that is exactly what I need right now. I've been so fortunate to find such a great group of kids who are eager to learn. Many of their parents are actively involved. They all do their homework every night! Amazing! The staff and principal couldn't be more accommodating, professional and kind. I love it! I love it! I love it!

I still fear the unknown of January and where I will end up. I'm hopeful I can stay in this school even if I just "float" around for the remainder of the year. I'm very, very hopeful. I have dropped my graduate courses for now. I need more time to reflect on that course. There is no rush for another master's degree. One should be enough anyway, shouldn't it?

In the meantime, I'm eager to plan exciting lessons that engage the kids and myself. I love teaching math and science! I am so glad to not be teaching language and reading all day. I'm so glad to have my own classroom too! I have an ESL teacher pushing into my classroom three days a week, and I'll have some other people helping out as well. That will give me more time to plan for small groups to focus on writing and guided reading and math. The possibilities are endless, well, at least until January 1st!

I'll take what I can for now.

Last Day

I never thought this day would arrive. I feel anxious yet at peace.

I think I did all I could do here this year. Now, I sit here in my packed up room still full of the materials and junk from the 1970s that are not mine, working on my own computer, alone. The few people with whom I've formed professional relationships are not in the building today. So, I spend my last day alone with the few outings to use the restroom or help another teacher move some materials.

I listen to NPR and read the news online. Stories about people out there making a difference and I hope that I can be one of those people. I don't know if I made any positive differences this year. I can only hope that some of my students feel that I did. I can only hope that they go on to the next grade ready to learn.

I sit here and apply for social work positions. I make my "to-do" lists and lists of accomplishments.

I'm bored.

The last day should be celebratory amongst colleagues, but alas, it is just as the rest of the school year went. Not surprising. A fitting ending to a less than stellar (professionally) year.

I'm bored, but not for long. The beginning of the next chapter remains unwritten. Only good can come of this.

I now look forward.

AFT's Reflection on ELLs

The February 2009 edition of American Teacher briefly reports on Education's Week's Quality Counts 2009 report which describes how states are not making progress in supporting English Language Learners (ELLs) or ELL teachers. AFT president, Randi Weingarten, states that Congress will "need to look at replicating some successful models around the country that do work." I wonder why they have not already done this!

Weingarten goes on to discuss how the federal education laws do not provide enough supports nor resources for the ELL students. One point she makes is how these students must take state exams in English despite not understanding the language. I have been complaining about this for some time. Granted, Pennsylvania does not require newcomers to the state to take the Reading and Language Arts exams during their first year but they are required to take the Mathematics portion in English with some assistance including word-to-word translation dictionaries. However, they most often can not comprehend what they are reading if they are even able to read the content. It creates stress for them and for some an aversion to testing in the future due to the experience being so awful.

Weingarten points to successful models of International High Schools in New York and California to be replicated throughout the U.S. This leaves me with many questions. Why, if there are successful models in the U.S., are they not already implemented everywhere? Why are so many other countries around the world able to have successful multi-lingual programs that produce fully literate students in more than one language able and the U.S. does not? I'm referring to third world countries as well such as Morocco. Moroccans graduate high school fully literate in Arabic and French. Some of their students, additionally, are able to function in a third language. 

I agree with Weingarten that we need to replicate something that is working and has proven, positive results. We are a country with many resources but for some reason are falling far behind in our elementary and secondary education. This is a disgrace. It will only benefit future generations to graduate literate in more than one world language. 

It will greatly benefit the U.S. to also begin spending more money on the resources teachers and students need to develop successful ELL programs in which the students are fully literate in both their native language and English. Additionally, it would not hurt English speakers to learn an additional language as well.