ahh....the poetry unit

it's been an interesting week, and definitely a long one. one memorable moment was overhearing a (very problematic) student say "do you want to see my cock?" to another student, basically right in front of me, and then say "it's a picture of a chicken." suffice it to say that he did not last long in my classroom that day. that was tuesday. he got suspended for 3 days (at least). i have found myself incredibly frustrated with some of my students lately. it's the ones who i have spent the whole year working with, and being so invested in them making changes in their academic choices that will help them be successful. i have built strong relationships with so many of my students, made those positive and negative phone calls to their parents, and they will finally look me in the eye, maybe tell me what's up, and start their work. but then, there are kids who are slipping, who no matter what i do don't come to school for the first two periods of the day, are failing, and won't come in for tutoring after school. they fall farther and farther behind as we build on what we've done in the past and i am losing my patience with them. i have spent the school year so far bending over backwards for my kids--and i need them to meet me at, or at least close to, halfway. most of them do. the ones who don't, who i have encouraged endlessly, stayed positive, helped them, devoted disproportionate amounts of time to, and they still haven't changed, are losing my attention and sympathy. i have seen a lot of kids pull it together and mature--my 8th graders are getting really close to high school--and so the ones who aren't growing academically are especially frustrating.

i guess part of the problem is how much of my energy they suck, also. when they do come to school, they are behind, and so they are disruptive, or don't have any idea what is going on in class, or they sit and do nothing and get even more behind and they might as well have stayed at home.

on the flipside...i feel like i've been building stronger relationships with many of my students. sometimes it's so weird being a teacher--knowing that students see me as this grown up person. maybe they look up to me, maybe not, but the thing that's fun is when i know they care what i think and they are trying to make some kind of impression on me. several of my students are in the after school program at my school and sometimes i stop into the classroom that they work in. on friday they were dancing and singing and they stuck their heads out to say hi when i was in the hallway. they are just a lot of fun. it used to be that i felt like i knew the boys a lot better than the girls, but now the girls have started opening up and i have more fun with them. i also think that as i'm getting to be a better teacher, they are thining of me differently as students and that is beneficial. i hope that next year, i can start building these relationships with my students earlier in the year. it's a lot of fun!

i used to feel sort of ambivalent about teaching middle school and i wondered if i should be in elementary school, because i like young kids so much. i have really come to a place where i like middle school. i'm patient most of the time, which they need, and just kind of mellow with them most of the time. i like them--they are quirky and growing and in so many different places. my 8th graders behave as though they are anywhere between 6th and 10th grade depending on the kid and the day.

i didn't really write about the poetry unit, did it? that is what i am sitting and working on in the cafe where i am, but this thing about my students is really sort of the theme of my week. the poetry unit starts next week.

if you are reading...and you want to say hi...i love getting comments. i know enough of you are out there that you are reading this but it's always nice to know that you are out there in the cyber world.

have a great week! i will finish planning this week today, and then i have sonday and monday off to go out of town. whoo hoo!