Jerger Elementary School… You’ve been so good to me 🙂

Reflections from Year 1:

• Kids take things you say literally. “Bring it down a level” may cause children to physically slump in their chairs. “It’s an emergency” means the police and paramedics are coming, even if you just spilled your water.
• Things that kids say to you are typically literal. One student told me that he was bringing me roses on the last day of school. Sweet, thoughtful, totally normal. On the last day I didn’t just get roses… I got a rosebush. Haha! Even better! But again, very literal.
• Making the grade starts somewhere deeper. In school we studied Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and I remember going “duhhhh”. Basic needs before everything else. Got it. Well, sometimes kids with a lot of potential won’t perform… until you fulfill basic needs such as clothing, functional skills, love, and attention. It’s amazing what a kid can do when you believe in them. Or when they believe in themselves.
• Relationships are built on love and discipline. Some days there’s more love. Some days there’s more discipline. Sticking by them through the ebb and flow is what makes it real and what builds trust.
• You’ll think of a better way to teach something… after your lesson. Every. Stinking. Time. But is that a bad thing? Of course not. Self-evaluation in any capacity makes you better. So Year 2 is bound to be… well… less flawed. I won’t say perfect 🙂

Next year will be a challenge. And the year after that. And the year after that. But boy oh boy am I blessed to have finally caved into the field of education 🙂 Can’t imagine any better way to make a living than loving and caring for our future.

Happy summer, ya’ll. From here on out it’s posts about laying out at the pool and getting my nails done 🙂