Experience

After I graduated from high school I attended a community college in my home town.  Two years later I received my AA degree.  I went on to a University a couple of hours away from home.  I went in with the idea of doing Elementary Education.  The thought of doing student teaching scared me to death so I decided I was going to change my major to Child Psychology.  I was a bit shy and hated being in front of people.  I don't mind it at all now.  I mean...I get a bit nervous...but it doesn't really bother me too much.  Well after only one semester I met Don.  He was about five hours away and also going to school.  Well we got married and that was the end of my schooling. I worked full time and put him through school. 

Fast forward to now.  I am in school and yep.....you can probably guess what my degree choice is. I am doing Elementary Education.  I have been working for the school here for about two weeks as a sub for the T.A.'s  I LOVE LOVE IT.  Well...when I get to work in the classroom I love it.  All last week I worked one on one with a boy that has been having some issues.  He has been diagnosed with a couple of things.  I won't mention them here due to privacy but he is a sweet little boy that can turn UNSWEET pretty quick.  But I have only been hit twice.  And he told me he hated me once.  But that was all in one day and the other four days were FANTASTIC.  He did great.  I was told at the beginning of my assignment that this little boy does not like to be touched.  Well on Friday when he got to school he headed out to the play ground to play just as the bell rang. He turned right around and started crying. He had NO time to play. He was so sad.  I went over to him and bent down and gave him a hug.  He didn't object.  I have put my hand on his hand.  I have put my hand on his face a few times to let him know that he can trust me.  I have hugged him.  And NOT once has he objected.  There have been a few times where I could see him starting to get a little 'bugged' about something so we went outside to take a little walk to cool off.  He does NOT like to be bossed or told to do something.  I have found different ways of having him do things and give him choices about things. 

They need someone in this position for the next couple of weeks.  I will definitely go back.  Kids like that need consistency.  My reasons for writing all of this is because on Friday I had a thought.  I thought back to when I was thinking about doing education.  I was deathly afraid to do student teaching.  I would have NO problems doing it now.  But I realize that the experience I have gotten from raising my family has given me the experience I have needed.  It really amazed me to come to that conclusion. I wasn't ready then.

Raising my challenging and active kids has given me so much needed experience.  I feel like I can handle more. I am a bit more understanding.  I know some extra tricks.  And it isn't easy to pull a fast one on me. The kids have tried.  :)

Some of the things I remember in the last two weeks are when I was in a fifth grade class there were three students at their desks.  They were talking and laughing and didn't seem to want to do their work.  There desks were facing each other.  There were four desks but only three students.  I sat down in the fourth desk......even though I wasn't sure I was supposed to.  But I wanted to help the teacher out and try to see if I could quiet them down and help motivate them to do their work.  They were so goofy.  So I told them that if they read and worked on their questions I would rap for them.  They all looked at me and got all excited.  I told them that they were going to be surprised at how well this old white woman could rap. You should have seen how fast those kids got to work.  It was pretty cool.  I did a small rap and they laughed. :)  I did it for another group of kids in that class too that were getting a bit rowdy. This time I told them to rate me on a scale from 1 to 10.  One kid said a 2.  WHAT?  I wasn't that bad. LOL.

Another thing that sticks out to me is when I went to a school that has 95% of their students on free/reduced lunch.  I was in a kindergarten class and this little five year old boy said one of the worst cuss words I have heard to his teacher.  She was NOT happy.  And it wasn't just a one worder it was a two worder cuss word. YIKES.  After my day I was talking to this teacher and she was telling me about some of the things she deals with in this class.  She said that most of the kids are not held by their parents.  Most of them are drinking and doing drugs and that alot of the kids don't even get a meal at night.  The school has started sending home backpacks full of food on Fridays for the families.  One little kid said, "my mom doesn't love me because she hits me all the time".  Then another little boys said,  She hits you all the time because she loves you.  Another kid talked about the cops showing up at his house and that he was mad that they took his dad because his dad didn't shoot at him like he did before.  I literally had a headache after I left that class.  The teacher never told me what students said what or anything like that....just that some of these things had been said by her students in kindergarten in the last few years.  Can you imagine?  Most of the time I feel like a loser of a mom.  But that day I went home feeling like a pretty darn good parent.  I felt so sorry for those kids and can't imagine what their lives must be like.  The teacher said that the parents are pretty much self medicating for issues and things in their own lives that have happened and in turn can't take care of their kids.  I feel bad for the parents who probably have had very hard lives themselves and not a great example of someone to teach them differently. It's kind of a cycle. And a sad one.

Some better things that have stuck out are all the hugs I get.  One little girl drew me a picture and told me to put it in my drawer.  Two other little boys constantly want me to help them.  They are just so so cute.  I really enjoy kids.  One class I was in the teacher put my name and number on the board so they could call me back as a sub.  Made my day.

The principal of the school came up to me to introduce himself to me.  I didn't realize who it was.  I had seen him out on the play ground that morning but I thought it was a parent.  He said he heard I was doing a great job.  Then he said...."I saw you in action this morning".  I didn't know anyone was watching.  He said he saw how I reacted to that little boy when he started crying.

And you know what?  NEVER.....ever would I be able to be this way if it wasn't for raising my own kids.  It has more to do with raising my ADHD children.  I don't feel like I am patient when it comes to alot of the things that this condition brings but I have learned SO SO much.  And I am now ready to become a teacher.  I am glad I didn't continue my education at that time. I know that sounds strange. At the time I wanted to finish but looking back and seeing where I am today I am glad I am doing it now.  I would have never been ready all those years ago. I will still tell people to do it right after highschool.  Things are easier before you start having a family.  But I needed more experience.  I needed time and a family of my own to teach me all that I know now.

I can't wait to have my own classroom.  It will be because of my kids that I will be the teacher I so badly want to be.