I believe that teachers must be eternal optimists (primary teachers at least). We are forever looking for the good in the children we teach. And for me, at least, I quickly forget their 'shortcomings' as I concentrate on accentuating the positive traits they possess. In my mind, every child is reachable and teachable (a line I gleaned from a veteran teacher I worked with my first years).
Today I was reflecting on one of my little guys and thnking of the progress he has made this year. Yes, he has made progress academically, but also in the way that he acts and reacts in the classroom. It's been an ongoing process and his parents have been extremely supportive and instrumental in making our plan work. As I was reflecting, a memory came back that I had already forgotten about. A memory, that at the time it happened, I thought I would never forget.
Early in the year, this strong willed and determined young man had gotten so upset with my class rules that he had darted out the door to the playground and 'made a run for it'. Since we have a busy street in from of our building, I had no choice but to go after him. (Luckily, I had an associate in the room to stay with the rest of the class) At 53, I am not as quick as I used to be and at 5, he definitely had the advantage of speed and mobitily. Somehow, I did get him caught and back inside the room. I remember telling my building principal that I was "getting too old for this!"
I guess my point it this: even with all of the challenges this lttle brown eyed ball of stubbornness has given me this year, I still look at him and see the child that has finally mastered his ABCs and is on his way to putting letters together to make words. I always saw him as what he was capable of being.
The other day we had a few preschoolers visiting our class and we talked a little about how they might be a little afraid of coming to school. My little 'runner' piped right up and said "Why would they be scared? School is a great place to be!" After all of our ups and downs this year, its nice to know that he has also focused on the positives this year.
♫♪You've got to accentuate the positive to eliminate the negative...♫♪
