Success

One of my favorite quotes comes from Walt Disney. He said, “One of our greatest natural resources is the mind of a child.” As I sit and reflect on this year, I think about each kid that has walked into my classroom whether they were a student of mine or not. I think of the environment they are coming into. I think about whether they feel welcomed or if they feel like they can voice their thoughts and opinions without it being second guessed. I think about their little minds and ALL of the concepts that have been taught to them not just this year, but in years past.

I have been challenged this year. I was here for four and a half weeks before I went on maternity leave for 13 weeks. I thought I knew my kids…I was wrong. When I came back from maternity leave, I had to adjust to being a new working mommy and re-introduce myself, study their data from the assessments they took while I was gone, and in that I had to get to know them all over again and had to push them and challenge them harder and more than they were used to. I have had to change and adjust instruction and groups more than I have ever had to do before. I had to re-structure my stations half way through the school year, doing them a way I have never done before. I had to give up some control (VERY hard for me to do) and let these “natural resources” take over. After a while, I began to see GROWTH and SUCCESS. I had students who hadn't passed a single assessment all year, passing assessment after assessment and thus, their confidence and belief in themselves has grown. That in itself is such a satisfying and proud feeling. No matter what these STAAR scores show, I have seen not just academic growth, but the students growing in their confidence and abilities and that is what truly matters.