New Semester

It has been SO fun to get new students. The one thing about this year's schedule change that has been VERY nice is not having to get new students every 5 weeks-it soooo burns me out. So having only one change this year has been great.

I LOVE the very beginning of a French class. 6th graders on the first day is SO invigorating. They motivate me. Seeing their smiles makes everything I do seem worth it.

Lately, I've been wanting to throw in the towel a lot. I struggle with leaving my daughter to come to work when I don't feel recognized or validated in what I do. I know it's not true, but I just don't think others see the value that I see in the children's need to learn a world language (not just French, any language). Sometimes I get sick of fighting the battle, get sick of the drama, of the same old stuff over again.

But then, I shut my door and begin with a new class of 6th grade. And I watch how engaged they are, and how excited they are to learn, and I know I must be doing something, anything right!

I also love how during my day I have 6th graders, then 7th graders, then 8th graders. I love getting to see them mature throughout my day, every day.

Clinical Student

So, for the past month, I've had a clinical student from Luther College. I was pretty excited for it, even though I knew that this time of year my schedule is so messed up (field trips, holidays, ending a semester and beginning a new one). So, since this was her first real experience in a French class, I thought I'd have her start by observing, then teach a few classes where she could watch me teach them first, and then if she wanted, she could plan a teach a lesson.
For the first time, I started to think of myself as a veteran teacher! It shocks me-I'm not the "new kid" anymore! I felt like I had something to share with her, and in turn it has helped me feel validated when I especially needed it.
It's honestly been pretty difficult to have someone else start your classroom and you come in 3 months into it. I'm so thankful for the time I had off, but I never felt a connection with the students, and honestly, there were some habits developed that were kind of annoying :)

Anyway, watching the clinical student teach this lesson was a really good way/time to reflect on myself. I have learned so much over the years! I can think of good things about what I do that I'm proud of.

But, I also have been kind of in a rut. With so much going on in my life, as well as the constant schedule changing, I have been lazy. I have been living with the status quo, because it works. But I think I might be getting a little bored with the same ol'. Something I deifnitely need to work on.

Yikes

Sometimes I underestimate the affect I may or may not have on students. I just got a new class of 8th graders, and there is a boy in that class who I find to be particularly funny. We were playing a review game in class, and when the game was over, someone said, "Les bonbons, Madame??" (Candy?)
I laughed and told them no and this boy said, "You can't ask that! If you ask that she gets mad!"

This totally boggled my mind because, well, I don't actually get mad very often and I can't remember I time that I've yelled recently, and this class is brand new.

So I said, "What do you mean? How do you know that?" (because, honestly, I give out candy every once in a while, and if they ask, then I definitely do NOT give it out).

He said, "I asked for bonbons once in 6th grade and you got mad. You were my first applied ever in middle school."

It just kind of hit me-this kid remembers this 3 years later? Seriously? I mean, he still chose French, so he must have had good memories, too, but it's humbling to think that one bad day or outburst or whatever you call it can stick with a kid!

Yikes!!!