Change?

I am heading into my fifth week of school and I had some time today to reflect on many of those "students." The students that come to mind when I plan or think of school in any capacity. I had fairly good conversations with several of these students on Thursday--about turning in homework, the importance of doing well on the unit test coming up Wednesday, and attendance patterns. I simply told them that I am not giving up on them and that they still have a chance to succeed in my class. We will see if they turn around their behavior tomorrow. I have the high expectation that they will.

This past Wednesday was my first welcome back night. I had a great time mingling with the parents. I had the opportunity to meet with 6 of my students' families. J's (leaving name out) mom was the most rewarding conversation. J is trying very hard in my class. He always participates and has a great demeanor about him--very mature and polite. His mom said, however, that she can't believe how he is talking about his math class. He comes home and talks about statistics (the class material) and how much he is responding to Mr. Athmer. She told me he has ADHD and has always struggled in the classroom. She thanked me for all I am doing. Stories and moments like this cancel out all of the difficulties that come with teaching. I have never worked so hard in my life. ever. I'm starting to believe I may never work this hard again if I leave education. I want to be the best possible teacher for my kids, so it has been a 24/7 job. Two of my "challenging" students came in to make up some quizzes during a lunch period and said that they "weren't use to this." "This" being having a teacher holding high expectations no matter what the circumstance. In addition, another student was due to make up a quiz after school, but said that he had a job interview and couldn't be back until 5 pm. I simply said that I'd be here waiting. He came back at 5 and smiled, saying that he couldn't believe I stayed. I said, "I told you! You need to make up this quiz! That is the most important part of my agenda tonight!" So he took the quiz and and left with a new appreciation for teachers--a step in the right direction.

Hope everyone is happy and healthy.