Today's Highs and Lows of Teaching

Today I struggled with what to write about for my Slice of Life story.  As I reflected on the day, it occurred to me that I had two stand-out moments that I could write about.  I'm calling them "stand-out" moments because they are the two most memorable moments of my day.

The first moment occurred during math workshop.  I was working with a small group of students on the floor, and periodically checking-in on the other three rotation groups.  Suddenly I hear, "Mrs. Ruckes, you're a good teacher."  Wow! That really made my heart smile.  It was so unexpected, and it came out of nowhere.  It's moments like this that make teaching so wonderful.

The second moment wasn't as pleasant.  It involves making a phone call to a parent regarding a behavior issue.  This is my least favorite thing to do, but also very necessary.  In my building, we have a school wide behavior program.  Students are allowed three reminders in the morning, and three reminders in the afternoon.  With the fourth reminder, they are given a Student Learning Form which is sent home to inform parents of the behavior.  Once a student gets four Student Learning Forms, the teacher is required to make a phone call to the child's home to discuss the situation with the parents.  I dread making these calls.  I  struggle with the fact that too often a parent is called regarding negative behavior, yet are seldom called regarding positive behavior.  Needless to say, I made the call and stated the facts.  The parent was understanding and supportive, yet it's not an enjoyable thing to have to do.

So my Slice of Life is reflecting on Today's Highs and Lows.  I suppose it goes with the territory.  Teaching is a combination of lots of highs and a fair share of lows.