There are currently 30 name tags and empty chairs sitting in my all-set-up classroom. Open house was Tuesday, and I had the opportunity to meet most of the faces that will be filling those 30 chairs, along with the family members that are closest to them.
But that's it. Other than a few details that parents provided, these 30 kiddos have a completely new canvas for this year; an opportunity to make different choices, different friends, different impressions and different paths. I hope to be the teacher that allows them to change for the better, without implications from their past years. I want to help them understand that they have a new, clean slate.
But as I am thinking of this, I realize that it is an opportunity for my slate to be wiped clean, as well. All of the successes, failures, aggravations and celebrations of last year are gone. The students who jumped for joy when they heard that I was their teacher are completely unaware of the mistakes I made in the past year and are giving me the opportunity to start over. Although I had many things to celebrate last year, I have many areas that need growth.
This year, I choose kindness. I choose to celebrate. I choose to love. I choose to forgive. I choose to understand EVERYDAY that these kiddos are so much more than what I see in a test score. I choose to listen. I choose to sympathize. I choose to give these 30 kids the best of me.
New year, new beginnings, clean slate...for us all.
No comments:
Post a Comment