The Teacher From the Black Lagoon

As I sit here flipping through last year's lesson plan book, I still wonder how I was able to bring my kiddoes so far in such a short period of time. I will admit, some of my "friends" had some serious behavior and home issues last year. It is very sad to see a kid constantly in trouble when there isn't much you can do about it. We had office referrals, ISS sessions, identification sessions while watching bus surveillance videos, the whole nine yards. It was very disheartening to try an get some of them to see the value in their education, instead of the thrill they get from negative attention. My goal for this year, is to refrain from giving negative attention as much as possible

. Many kids in our district come from high-poverty homes and are quite often latchkey kids at the tender age of 8.How much can I expect from a child whose parents aren't at home until eleven at night? I hope to bring a little sparkle to my teaching instruction and interactive demeanor so that my students feel more welcome than before and more excited to be learning the curriculum. New standards, new programs, new everything will make this year very unlike the last. But one thing stays the same from year to year...the kids. No matter how mean, or unlikable, or poor, or rich these kids are, I want them to all feel equal. By the end of the school year last year, I felt like the teacher from the Black Lagoon. And personally, I didnt like it one bit. This year will be a change for me, both professionally and personally. I am going to attempt to set aside the demeanor that last year's fiasco engrained into my personality and create a new one, a gentler one, a smilier one, and a more enthusiastic one. Will I be able to change my personality that easily? My demeanor? My way of teaching? I do not know...but I know one thing..I WILL TRY.