So.....
This is actually an eager post. I've spent the last two days at Byhalia Middle School working with the football team and getting my classroom together. It's been tiring, yet exhilarating, because all I see right now is POTENTIAL.
Football:
It has been interesting working with the football team so far. We have had 9 kids there working out in the mornings. I know you're thinking,"You can't play football with 9 kids," but that's all we have right now. For reasons out of the coaches' control, only 9 have really been coming all summer. It's a bit disheartening, until the ones who get up and come at 8 show how much they care about working hard and winning. Once we start workouts at 8 my excitement spikes as if we have 50 kids there. I was introduced to them, then we immediately got to work. They knew within the first 5 minutes that Coach King is a hard-worker, very tough, but very encouraging. They immediately showed me respect and we established a great rapport. Then, I got them on a leg circuit that we used to do in college....."Coach King, this hurts!" I smiled, told them it was ok for it to hurt, and immediately got them on the 2nd round of the circuit.
We have been very efficient with time. We have maximized the effort and teaching levels. It's been great to see the excitement in the kids' eyes. I think that they are motivated by a new, young coach, who is going to work them and actually teach them some real fundamentals of football. It's been awesome for me so far. Apparently, there are around 35 kids on the team; we'll see once school starts, I guess. For now, we're going to work with what we have, build a strong foundation, and focus on the potential of this team.
Classroom:
Whew! I walked into a room with no air on, dust and cobwebs everywhere, and desks stacked in a jumble. I immediately thought: POTENTIAL! My initial thought was that this room is spacious, which is good, so I will have room to make this a great learning environment. I also knew that it would take a lot of time and effort to get things in order. I got dirtier cleaning up the classroom than I did working on the football field with the team. I was sweating and covered in dust. My iTunes kept me moving and motivated. I have made tremendous progress in two days, and I can't wait to have the finished product next week. I got my textbooks today, all 140. I'm still trying to figure out my organization plan and how things will work with my setup, but I know I'll find the best way to maximize potential and get optimal performance from the students.
I met Mr. Lance, the school custodian, today. He said, "You look like a first-year teacher." I laughed and said, "Yes, sir. I am." I then proceeded to ask him if he had any advice..........He laughed, rather interestingly, and said, "GOOD LUCK!!!" We shared that laugh, and I knew from his reaction that this is gonna be harder than anything I've done in my life. I'm not discouraged, I'm excited and ready to take on this challenge. All I keep thinking of right now is Potential, Potential, Potential..........
DK
I definitely need to take a moment to applaud your optimism, love it! It is no wonder that you already have a great rapport with your students whom so desperately need your holistically positive influence in their lives! Your unabashedly hopeful spirit of seeking the potential in even the most dire situations ( classroom w/ no air & cobwebs(!)) will soar you throughout this year. It is also great that you've been reaching out to veteran staff especially the custodian-this will truly bless you as the year goes on and they'll be able to help you in more ways than one. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeletePotential is a great word to sum up everyone about teaching, growing up, and the situation. I applaud the optimism and hope that you can turn some of that potential into "actual". Best of luck w/ the new year.
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