why I do what I do

I certainly have plenty of bad days at work and as I've mentioned, I have been feeling pretty burned out. But there are moments when I remember why I am a teacher. Last Thursday morning, we had our annual "celebration of learning". Each grade level performs and parents are invited to come and spend part of the day at school and see the things their child has accomplished and the projects we've done. For this day, the third graders practiced four songs complete with actions. They did an amazing job. Then we did some fun things in class for parents to see.

Today, we had a huge assembly to say goodbye to our principal. She is retiring, after almost 35 years of teaching/being principal and after 10 years at our school. She actually will be going to southern Utah to be principal of a high school on the Navajo Indian Reservation... a high school with less than 50 students. Anyway, the assembly included singing and dancing by the kids as well as two slide shows. It brought tears to my eyes several times. It was a beautiful program. And not that I think teaching is all about singing and having programs, I am grateful that my school has kids learn songs and every class participates in dance classes taught by Tanner Dance Company. We have an art teacher that does an amazing job and we have student work displayed throughout the school. And even though our test scores don't always show it, we've done some amazing things. I have several students who made 1 1/2 years growth in reading during the 9 months of school. Almost every child made at least 9 months to a year's growth in reading. Their writing has improved. Their understanding of math is so much greater than it was at the beginning of the year. We've taught them about North and South America, including the Utes and Incas, as well as habitats, geography and so on. And I hope that I've helped some kids who didn't like to read that reading is exciting. One of my fears about No Child Left Behind is that it puts so much pressure on schools like mine to achieve in reading and math that many feel that they don't have time for "extras" (I must admit I often feel this way.) like music, dance, art, PE. And yet, I think they are especially necessary at schools like mine, because for many of these kids that is the only place they will have exposure to these things. My students aren't usually being taken to piano lessons or dance classes. They learn these skills and have these experiences at school or, for some, at the Sorensen Center which offers sports teams and some other experiences for a very low fee. Or else they don't have them at all.

From what I understand, the school where Michelle will attend, teaches keyboarding (as in piano) from either Kdg or 1st grade up. I think that's great. Since we don't have a piano in our home, I'm glad she will get at least some exposure and maybe eventually we can start her on piano lessons.

I get frustrated with plenty of things about my school, my district, and especially the No Child Left Behind legislation. And there are plenty of obnoxious kids that I get sick of dealing with. But sometimes, I feel pretty proud to work where I do. I think Salt Lake District is the best. We offer so many special programs so that kids/families can find a fit. There is the dual immersion program, bilingual programs, full time gifted programs, a science academy (junior high level), an open classroom (less structured than most classrooms, lots of kid exploration, parents are required to be involved), and probably others that I can't think of at the moment. I'm glad this school year is almost over, but I am also glad that I am a teacher. Every year you get to start fresh and no two years are exactly the same. It keeps you constantly on your toes. It's not a job where you can ever rest (if you want to be effective, at least) or expect that what worked today will work the same tomorrow. And that's the fun of it; and part of what makes it so hard. But it is who I am. I am a teacher.