I know I haven’t posted in a long time, not to say that there haven’t been several blog-worthy happenings or topics to choose from. Let’s just say I’ve been rather preoccupied with keeping pace with planning, teaching, grading, assessing, adjusting, planning, teaching, re-teaching, assessing…
Today it was a simple statement, alive with the random quality that makes middle school such an adventure, and I couldn’t let it slip away without giving it just a bit of attention.
As I called roll today, I had students give me a noun – just to be sure they still knew what nouns were now that our Daily Grammar Practice has been completed for the year. Many students said the names of their friends, random animals, and the other most popular topic was food. Which prompted a certain student to pipe up a few minutes later saying, “I’m so hungry I think I could even eat a vegetable.” The seriousness with which the line was delivered made it even better. And then (as is also true in middle school) after a moment of silent contemplation, he vocalized that no, he really didn’t think he could eat a vegetable, but he was extremely hungry.
I’m amazed by how much this job both gives and requires of me. I never feel like I’ve “arrived” because I put so much of my success on the work of the students, which is uplifting and utterly degrading at times.
Here, in the final weeks of the year, I find myself still searching and longing for those days when things “click” and when I can see the learning taking place all around the room. There’ve been glimpses here and there. I know that more are on the horizon, waiting to show themselves through random statements spoken in an otherwise silent classroom.
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