Catch a Falling Star

I'm struggling today, really struggling. It's 8:15 PM, and I've just sat down to grade papers after already working at school for the past 13 hours. I thought that I'd have it together by now, considering I'm entering my seventh year of teaching. I was always told that novice teachers worked all hours of the day just stay afloat, and that experienced teachers had it made. So, why is this happening to me?

I think I have a couple ideas... To begin, I'm a teacher leader within my school. Not only am I a mentor to two novice teachers, I am also the language arts department chair. While these two jobs may sound easy and are usually assigned to the person that draws the shortest straw, I take them very seriously. Supporting my colleagues and offering help to struggling new teachers is something I've grown very fond of doing.

I find enjoyment in researching curriculum standards, developing objectives, testing our ideas in the classroom, and assessing the progress we're making. I wouldn't experience this kind of exhilaration in my career without the interaction I have with my teacher peers. They show me new ways of teaching concepts and experimenting with best practices. This all takes time, but I don't feel it's the most cumbersome part of my job.

Then, what is it?

Maybe it's my thorough communication with my students' families. On average I spend 90 minutes a day writing and replying to emails. I send a weekly update informing parents of homework assignments, upcoming quiz and test dates, new links they can use for extra practice or study material, and pertinent announcements to keep them "in the know." I’ve also made it a point to send home grade sheets weekly. I find that parents and students are much more motivated to do well in school when they have a goal in front of them. Knowing their current average, missing work, successes, and areas for improvement are part of reaching that goal.

Of course, there is always a handful of parents that reply to my update or writes a note on the grade sheet with a question about this assignment or a comment about that test, but for the most part I find the communication critical. I commend the parents for replying and inquiring about their children's school life. I wouldn't want it any other way. Too often, middle school parents take a back seat in the academic life of their child. Consistent communication is the only way to help parents stay informed about their child’s progress.

While these record keeping and communication skills take up mass amounts of time, they are the least demanding of my tasks.

I can only think of one other major responsibility – I teach a team of students that has learning disabilities.

While this may sound like all other classes, it’s not at my school. Because our students need to have an in class resource teacher (ICR), it only makes sense, logistically, to put them all on one team. By doing so, the ICR teacher is able to see all kids everyday and offer the most support in classrooms.

Having an ICR class also means extra meetings with parents because of IEPs, addendums, and planning time with the ICR teacher. The only way to ensure student success for these academically struggling students is by providing the extra time and support they need in school. This often means working with kids during lunch hour or having them stay after school, since no additional time can be found during their regular school day.

Also, creating the supplemental and differentiated materials needed to support these children takes time. I usually end up modifying 75% of the documents that are used with these students in order to meet IEP standards and goals. While it may sound like something that doesn’t “need” to be done, when I see the successful results of my students, I know it does.

What this group needs is so much more than the other classes. Finding the extra time to support them can be torturous sometimes, not only for them, but also for me. If only we had a school wide intervention system in place, the students and I could have so many other options for remediation.

As I was leaving school today, a colleague of mine called me a star, which is an honor coming from him. At this point in time I certainly don’t feel like a star.

In fact, I feel like I’m falling.