Schools in Session

I started off my teaching career in a school district with one elementary, one middle, and one high school that also bused in kids from a neighboring town. The only other language I needed to learn was "farm". Our field trip was going to the fire house across town and 1/4 of my class were cousins.   Now, I am embarking on a teaching career in a county where there is a total of 232 schools, not including charter or private.  Every nationality and culture is represented in each school and unique family situations are the norm.  It is certainly different, but I am learning so much.  I am currently long-term subbing for a teacher who has gone on maternity leave and everyday I am learning not only state demands of public education, but more and more about myself as a teacher.  Reflecting back, here are some thoughts thus far:

• Sometimes it's not until you are encountered with those 1st grade problems that you remember what a valuable thing simple life lessons are.  
• Kids are so precious, resilient, and surprising. 
• My favorite times in the classroom are when you can see the wheels turning in those little brains and then finally see the light bulb click.  Sometimes the light bulb comes a little late... but it's equally as encouraging to see kids try hard.
• I had to have patience for Pre-K, but every grade requires so much patience and for different reasons.  
• A strong school community makes a world of difference.
• I can't stand Xbox answers.  I have prepped journaling assignments with "No Xbox answers." The minute the kid starts answering my question of "What did you do this weekend?" with an Xbox answer, I nearly explode.  If I wanted to hear the play by play of the ninja fighting the turtle and the shield he won, I would have asked the ninja to write in his journal. 
• I saw it beginning in Pre-K, but I continue to see how testing demands are outrageous. 
• Between recess, lunch, specials, transitions, snack, and dismissal, instruction time seems to get shorter and shorter.  
• After subbing for spanish and media, I have a whole new respect for specials teachers.  Your day is all one giant transition, which are the headache times of the day.  Transitioning the kids from coming in and then sending them out, then doing it all over again in 20 minutes is just a constant whirlwind of "be quiet, line up, be quiet, that's not a line, be quiet, back up, no running, whose the line leader?"
• "He skipped".  #1 problem.  He. Skipped.  Oh my goodness, it's like nails on a chalkboard.  Who cares! We are all going to the same place!  How can it possibly matter if you are 14th or 15th in line?!  And, "Skipper", do you just insert yourself into the line at Target?! Back of the line.  We are now late because we had to review a Pre-K rule. (I vented a little here. My apologies). 
• Smiling goes a long way.  We midwesterners knew that of course. 
• My other favorite time in the classroom is read-a-loud time; specifically a chapter book.  It reminds me of the joy of a good book and snuggling on the couch staring at pages of words I don't know while Mom or Dad read them so fluently. The hope of 1 more chapter before bed was the only distraction and with no pictures, you were left to depict the scenes and put in your own personal touches.  I love sitting in the rocker with all their little faces hanging on to the last words and imagining the rest.  Sometimes the ADHD diagnoses even seems to disappear for a moment!
• Parents: a pack of Oreos, a pack of Doritos, a pack of Ritz, and a juice box is not a lunch. 
• I need about 4 more of me for each child to have an effective, level-appropriate reading lesson.
• Squirrels are replaced with iguanas on the playground.  I still can't get over this and am in awe when the kids are running away from the 2 iguanas by the slide. 
• Hugs from the troublemakers are the best. 
• 5th graders are terrifying.  I think the only time I didn't think 5th graders were terrifying was when I myself was in the 5th grade, and even then I slept with one eye open.