Reflection

I got my school pictures for the year. I never really know what to do with them so I usually just put them in a drawer and forget about them until the next year. This year I pulled out all the old pictures. It was kind of fun to look at them. It was even more fun to look at the class pictures and remember some of the students I've had. I don't know if it scares any of you but I have now influenced (in some way) over 200 kids. It does scare me. The group of kids I taught my first year (second grade) are now in the 9th grade. That really scares me. So here they are. Along with some of the things I remember about each year. I'm guessing its kind of funny I love to post so many pictures (you know, of myself) but its fun for me to see the changes from year to year. And its my blog so I can do it if I want.

2001-2002

My first year was rough. Mostly thanks to Larry and Jerry (yes, those are their real names). They were hell. And I wasn't prepared to deal with them. I went home every night thinking "If it doesn't get easier I will not be back." Things didn't really get better that year. The hardest thing I've ever had to deal with as a teacher happened my first year. One of my students was killed by a drunk driver. There are some things that college cannot prepare you for. Having to tell the rest of my students about the accident is one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Luckily I was surrounded by very experienced teachers who were a great support during this year. I hope to be that kind of support for someone else. (I was terrified to meet with parents at this point. Look at me. I was a kid. How could they take me seriously?)

2002-2003 (only picture I can't find)

When I think about my first year of teaching this is the year I like to think about. I loved this year of teaching and I loved my students. This was the year I started to feel a connection with the kids I worked with. I was still figuring out the "teaching" thing though. One day I was reading my students' journals and I found an entry that said "I love Miss Sorenson. Not because she teaches us anything but because she sings and dances."

2003-2004
I had a favorite student this year. His name was Jake. But he liked to be called "Spike." He swore it was his middle name. I had had Jake's brother the year before. I love having siblings and working with the same parents for a few years. Spike was one of the first boys to ever tell me he loves me.

2004-2005

After three years of teaching in the same school I thought I was ready for a change. Mostly, I was ready for a raise and the quickest way to do that was to switch school districts. That also meant accepting a job "team teaching." Two teachers. One classroom. Forty kids. Hell. I learned a lot that year about working with someone very different than myself and still liking them when its all over.

2005-2006

This was the year I had to deal with a student who had lice for the entire year. The whole year. It got so bad we called DCFS to investigate. The mom complained to the case worker that I told all the other kids about the lice and to stay away from her. Really? I didn't tell the other kids a thing. They could see it. Crawling. They're not dumb. I heard "She has bugs in her hair" atleast once a month that year. On the bright side - I learned how not to cringe and jump when I noticed it and I'm no longer afraid of lice. As long as I blow dry my hair and use product I should be fine.

2006-2007

I think there are something like 29 different languages in my school. The majority of students at my school speak Spanish as a first language. Some of these kids speak very little English. Lucky for me I had a Spanish "translator" this year. Unlucky for the student this self appointed translator spoke English and Tongan. But she had a lot of confidence (although this confidence didn't extend to other languages like Somali and Arabic) and enthusiasm and my little non English speaker followed her around like she understood every word. Six year olds don't know that language is a barrier for many people.

2007-2008

My seventh year of teaching and I finally started to feel like I had it. I knew how to teach kids to read. I could even do it on purpose. I could even do it for students who had lice all year (again). I also learned to appreciate how many cultures I was surrounded by in this neighborhood. A lot of my refugee students started to move and I really missed them with all their craziness. And excitement for everything.

2008-2009

We've been in school 36 days. 144 to go. I don't know what's in store for this year. But I feel ready to face whatever it is. Few things can shock me now. That might be a lie. Every year it seems like there is a new problem to deal with. I'm just really good at not looking surprised by anything anymore.