I feel like this has truly been march
madness. So many different things have happened this month that as I look back
and read my reflections I feel like I am constantly swaying from high to low.
Although everything has ultimately worked out okay I suppose it has still been
a whirlwind of events during a very stressful time of year. I am proud of my
students, and myself for that matter, for really honing in on praising one
another and keeping things positive in the classroom. This is not to say that
we don’t need more work in this area but I realize that consistency is going to
be key here and I am happy my students are making sure they hold me to that. I
am also really happy that parent relationships are feeling more positive than
negative and that we are working more as a team rather than thinking we are
against each other. I know this is something that as everything I can continue
to improve on but I am hopeful things are finally on the right track. I do
realize that anger management has become an issue for some of my students more
recently than before and although I am not totally sure of the cause I know it
is an area I really need to focus on. Seeing as how I too personally had a very
bad month I understand the mood swings and difficulty staying focused when you
have so many other things going on in the back of your mind.
I feel as though I have tried to be very
responsive to the types of things I am seeing. I have focused in on a few
specific students who have drastically made a difference this past month and
want to make sure that I don’t give up on them now. It is easy to focus on
myself during this time with all of the stress of grad school, teaching,
testing, etc. but I need to remember that my students are feeling the same
pressure in the classroom when it comes to completing assignments, rushing
through standards and making sure they are reviewing for what “we” have
determined to be the five most important tests of their life (at least for
now). By giving up my personal lunch time to spend extra time getting to know
my students and being there to support them and by reaching out to parents who
I know think I am out to get their child I feel as though I have been able to
turn the negatives into positives at least to some extent. But again this has
been march madness so who knows what is in store for the future.
I have really been trying to revisit the
ideas found in Conscious Discipline this month especially with those specific
students who I feel as though are seeking extra attention. Reminding myself of
STAR (more for me personally than anything) and the idea of positive intent and
choice has been on the forefront of my mind when it comes to relating to my
students and thinking about my expectations and their reactions. I know that
the end of the year is near and that everyone is stressed and on edge so I think
it is more important now than ever to think back to all of the great lessons I have
learned from the book.
I realize that teaching my students is about
knowing my students and being able to celebrate with them all the time. Without
celebrating their successes it is hard to push through their not so successful
days (this goes for me as well as for them). I also realize that we need to
work together as a team. I need to help them and they need to help me, we are
in this together and we need to be there to support one another and to help
each other when things get tough.
I want to continue to make sure I focus in
on the positive things and the celebrations that my students deserve. I know that
consistency is a weakness of mine so this is going to be harder than it sounds
but I also know that it is important to do. I also know that the more positive I
can stay, the more positive my students can stay and ultimately that will be a
great example for those struggling with anger related to different topics. It
has without a doubt been a month of madness but I know that April is going to
be stronger because of it!
I love your attitude and perspective on things! Your dedication to your students is definitely inspiring. I haven't been doing a great job of maintaining a positive climate in my classroom (due to personal stress and drama in the classroom), so this is a reminder of the importance of positivity and encouragement. I would love to hear about some of the structures that you have in place so that kids are celebrating each other. My students always do shout outs during Morning Meeting, but I feel like I have to start something new because that is getting a little stale. Let me know if you have any good ideas.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you are using the lessons that we have learned from "Conscious Discipline." I think that I definitely need to revisit some of those strategies because I have definitely been struggling with some things like assuming positive intent. This time of the year, as you said, is such a stressful time, and it's really easy to let our stress get to the way that we relate and talk to our students.
As always, thanks for the great reminders and your inspiring thoughts!
I love how you are continually connecting your students' needs in the classroom to your needs in the classroom. You identified a lot of things that are going on with your students while simultaneously connecting them to things that you are experiencing at the same time. Part of getting to know your students is understanding why they react to things the way that they do and feel the way that they feel. Your empathy for your students is all over this blog and it really is something important to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteI know that the next few weeks are going to be stressful for all of us but make sure that you are reaching out when you need something! We are all going through this together and we'll make it with the support from each other that we've come to rely on so much. I am so proud of the work that you are doing with your students.
Hey Kelsey!
ReplyDeleteI love reading about how much work you are putting into your relationships in your posts. It seems like an area that is incredibly vital and important to you and I think that's amazing. I know that your students and their families must see that.
I think you made a really powerful point on how it would be easy to focus on yourself during this stressful time but it is a difficult time for your kids, as well. I never thought about the fact that the things that stress us out the most are also systems of stress that our students experience- school, decisions made by our superiors, pressures on our mastery. That's so true and it was a really beautiful and honest point you made that I will continue to reflect upon and think about during my moments of stress and frustration. Just like you added that you can be partners with parents with their students' choices, we can be partners with our students in our emotional control and anxiety surrounding academic performance.
I had some little men that really struggled with anger management last year and I was proud of how far they came and how well they're doing now. If you wanna chat about some of the things we did in our class to help them let me know. You know little men's emotional regulation is my jam!
Know I'm thinking about you during these next few weeks and that I'm wishing you well!
Kelsey,
ReplyDeleteMarch Madness indeed! this year has been filled with a lot of emotions (stress being the main thing). This is a very pressured time of year but I commend you in being committed to your kids and willing to give up your time and work with them more. reading your post reminds me of how important it is to keep a classroom environment supportive of one another. It's easy for us to get caught up in our own stress, but I can imagine our students experience the same level of high stress as well. I'm working on figuring out ways we can support one another through it and continue to develop those positive relationships with one another.