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.
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