Five more days

I only have five more days of school left. First of all, who knew that I would manage to get through teaching kindergarten? This last week, when I had my entire class sitting on the ground and in chairs, knee to knee, elbow to elbow reading books, I thought, "wow, I've come a long way." Here was a group of 5 and 6 year olds who were all reading! When I started students I was shown their test scores for the number of sounds (not words) they could read in a minute. The scores were mostly 0, 0, 5, 7, 0, etc. Now, 90% of the students are at benchmark, and the scores range from 25 to 119!

More than the numbers, it was amazing to see the kids all sitting and reading on their own.

I think about the fact that I had been offered (and turned down) three kindergarten jobs before this one. I was right about the fact that teaching kindergarten is no walk in the park, but I think I'll actually miss some of my students next year.

Finally, after a few months on a steep learning curve, I feel like I have the hang of teaching kindergarten. I've learned that five and six year olds crave routines. They do best when every day is set up with the same set of activities. I've also learned so much more about teaching expectations and routines.

What I've noticed most, though, is that I am really happy teaching. Once I get to school, the day just flies by. Suddenly it is the end of the day. I don't spend time thinking about if I'm making enough of a difference, or feeling bored. Sure, I have tough days, but overall I am really happy when I'm working with the students. That said, I'm still looking forward to summertime!