ORDINARY DAY
8:08 am- Just an ordinary day. The bell rings and students file into class. The great thing about my Tuesday morning is that I have the first prep. I have 1 hour and 30 minutes of pure work time!! I love block days. I have time to blog, grade papers, prepare for the next set of lessons and I have time to build relationships with my students.
Building relationships with 8th graders is an art which I am no expert. I tend to have the expectations of students that are not fulfilled however the students make me feel that I have set them too high. I also tend to speak my mind and not allow students to speak as freely as they would like. Case in point: Yesterday, we finished watching Disney’s “White Fang.” The students loved the movie. At the end there was information regarding the reintroduction of grey wolves into the US. I had several students speak very adamantly against the topic. The way they expressed themselves, however was very emotional and somewhat offensive. I had to stop the conversation. This was tough as the students felt that I did not value their opinion. This is an ordinary day.
Today, I set out to have a normal day, again trying to build relationships with students. I was pleased to have a one on one conversation with the same student from yesterday, however, this day was much more productive. We were able to discuss our differences and even plan a classroom debate regarding the topic.
Ordinary to me is what we do. We make mistakes, we might offend, we might not see eye to eye, but we pick up and try again the next time. We might hit the mark or we might just take a few steps closer. It is not extraordinary, it is just living and trying to make the best of it. Has it taken my 40 years to figure this out? Maybe I just keep learning from my mistakes. As I wake up every morning, have my coffee and get to school with my 1st hour prep, I realize that every day I get to try again.
Diary of a 40 Something Emptynester 
I used to love a first prep schedule. (Though my real favorite was a prep before lunch when the specialist would bring them to lunch so I could have an hour and a half to do work.)
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It is so hard for anyone to accept another point of view when it does not match your own. I think you were smart to speak with that student and plan a future debate. Sounds like a possible argument writing topic.
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Love that every day can be a new day. Also love that first prep is at school. My first prep is at home with that first cup of coffee! TeeHee! Welcome to the “Slicing World”!
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Sounds to me like you are using your time to reflect and think deeply about your practice. I really admire you for that.
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You are right — every day is a new chance to begin again. I had this conversation with a 2nd grader today as we hope that tomorrow is a better day for him. I chuckled when I read that you were hoping for a “normal” day…Not sure if I’ve ever had one of those. : ) Welcome to Slice of Life!! Hope to see you again soon.
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Sometimes I feel like I have to stop conversations that get off kilter. Maybe having guidelines like – Think Before you Speak: is it true? Is it helpful? Is it inspiring? Is it necessary? Is it kind? – may help the student conversations get back on track. Good luck! Every day brings with it a new lesson.
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