My First Day

The first day of school was surprisingly less nerve racking than the open house. I feel like a teacher when I stand in the front of a class, and I get a natural high from 26 pairs of eyes following me as I stroll across the room. Instead of making me feel nervous, their attention makes me feel important, as if the next thing I say could really change their life, and in a sense, it can. You never can know how what you say influences your listener, and that is part of the magic of teaching. You may not always see the results, and the results may not be what you intended, but what you say as a teacher could have lasting affects on a student. With that, caution must be paid not only to your words, but also to your actions and reactions, because even when you are not speaking, you are teaching. Students look up to teachers for so many hours a day, and what they see should be exemplary. 

Even just after my first day, my classroom already feels like a second home. I will be spending about as many awake hours there as I will be at home this year, so it is reassuring to know I feel comfortable there and comfortable sharing this home with just shy of 80 learners. I did get butterflies each hour when new students would fill the class, but they quickly dissipated as the class got under way. As a student assistant, my main priority is to observe teacher and student behaviors, but by the end of my first day, I knew this would not be enough to satisfy me. I wanted to get my hands dirty, so I went to the lunch room. I volunteered to have sixth grade lunch duty every day. "You sure about that?" someone asked me. I responded, "Yes, yes I am."

Lunch is hectic. Crazy-hectic, but well worth my time. Lunch is a time for students to be casual and social, and seeing this side of them gives the teacher a better understanding of the student body as a whole. My first observation, the sixth graders are as hyper in the lunchroom as they were in the classroom. They are boisterous, clingy, cliquey, and every last one of them has the most important thing in the world to tell you every minute single minute. In class, they raise their hands for everything. If you make a remark, 10 hands go in the air to mention something related (or unrelated, depending on the student.) For example: I mentioned the university I attend, and a student raised her hand to say that her mom went there. That was it. So the teacher said that was nice and moved on. If you mention a place you've been, they've been there, too. If you mention something you'd like to do, they want to do it, too. If you mention that you have a dog, as the teacher did, they will ask if it is okay if they talk about their fish, or parrot, or lizard. Everything is important to these kids. What I learned from this behavior is two-fold. One, these kids want to share and feel connected to the people around them. Feeling included gives them a sense of security. Secondly, you have to allot time in the schedule for these comments and stories to take place. Especially with 6th graders, you want them to feel comfortable in the classroom and to do that, you must leave them time to share. Sixth graders on their first day are still elementary school students, and they will be for a few months before a combination of puberty, adolescence, and peer pressure kick in.

But back to lunch. I do not regret in the slightest volunteering for this duty. For many students, lunch is their favorite 25 minutes of the day, and I am glad to share that with them. The more time I spend with students, the better I understand them, and the better I can serve their needs as a teacher. Lunch time gives me insights that the classroom can't, and I look forward to continuing the learn from this experience.


Highlight of the Day:

The teacher shares with the class, "I have a dog and cat at home that I love very much."
A young man's hand flies into the air. "I have a lizard! Is that okay?"
"Yes, it is okay to have a lizard." The student smiles. "Thank you for sharing."