Wow. That was a fast semester. Other than ACT prep which had me in a constant state of worry, I'm pretty sure I relaxed and did some pretty good teaching. There was a time in my life when all things were chaos and I had a hard time staying in the groove. I could not utilize my gift because of the effect of outside sources. During my struggles I received from my brother a set of motivational tapes recorded by Doctor Wayne Dyer. I remember listening to his words of advice and thinking"I will never be able to put this in practice" I listened, I truly did,s but still I blundered along blindly, teaching the best I could and trying to stay afloat. His words though, must have stayed with me because in my best years, many of which have been at Cassopolis, they come back to me in droves. Now not only do I recognize their value, I successfully put them into practice. One of the most important concepts Dyer teaches is to "be in the moment." Sometimes we teachers get so distracted by reports we have to run, data we have to analyze, extra curriculars we have to supervise, that we lose site of the time we have with our students. This year I have tried to be present in the moment of each class I teach. That means not getting distracted, focusing on the kids and their needs, and fully immersing myself in the message in discussion and response that I get from them. And it has paid off. Ask AP English. We've gone from Iran, to an 18th century English Village, down the Congo River, and into the Heart of Darkness.
In Senior English we talked about relationships, leadership and the perils of Government control (ex. Orwell's 1984.) I have learned so much from these children this year, just by being in the present moment and learning and discovering right along with them. Its nice. This year, better than most years, I am a teacher, a learner, a scholar, and a guide. And it will all be over too soon. Some are excited to see June come. I have mixed feelings this year. I have more moments yet to be in.
In Senior English we talked about relationships, leadership and the perils of Government control (ex. Orwell's 1984.) I have learned so much from these children this year, just by being in the present moment and learning and discovering right along with them. Its nice. This year, better than most years, I am a teacher, a learner, a scholar, and a guide. And it will all be over too soon. Some are excited to see June come. I have mixed feelings this year. I have more moments yet to be in.