Tonight was the Honor's Night for Eighth Street. Although our team didn't have any Superior Honor students this year, it is still neat to see our "little ones" dressed in Church dress and shirts and ties... Makes them look so grown up and makes me realize that in just 18 days, these will be officially 9th graders !
I have been feeling really down about the things I felt I just didn't get to do with my students this year because of all the "regimentation" and cookie cutter teaching I had to do this year. However, one of the administrators stopped in during my 6th period class today. This is the class with my worst behaved and most obnoxious students and I had just reached my wit's end and my bag of tricks to get their attention has been totally depleted. So, I called in the Big Guns to have a talk with them.. He said... If Ms. Tucker gives me more than 3 discipline referrals a year...that is soooo unusual... It is because she refuses to give up on your guys. A referral is a sign to me that she maxed out her patience with a student. In the past four years, she has only given me a total of 7 referrals.... until these past two weeks. That's how I KNOW SHE IS SERIOUS. Then he said something to them I totally did not expect. He said " Ms. Tucker is our most decorated teacher we have at 8th Street... Wal Mart thinks so, the rest of the faculty thinks so, the community of parents and former students think so and so do the Veterans of this county. How DARE YOU disrespect someone every one else respects and honors.. . You will never have another teacher like her---ever---! You are leaving this school in 18 days but so is she... Is this class gonna be the one that has the label of "the only class that Ms. Tucker couldn't teach because wouldn't let her!? SHAME ON YOU!
His words just blew me away! Apparently, they did my students also... I looked around and several of them were crying.... and none of them breathed a word after he left....
When I was cleaning up the room after class was over, I found a couple of apology letters tucked in my keyboard...... Thank goodness we are given the gift of a new day every morning we wake up! My spirit was renewed by this experience and I really needed that.... Thanks, Coach Torell......
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2 comments:
How wonderful! See, you do mean something to someone, apparently lots of someones. Your teaching will not have gone in vain as long as you did the best you could do. And, I know you did.
Truly, 8th Street is losing a special someone they won't be able to replace. Love you Mom :)
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