Teaching Adventures, Pt. 10

My 3rd year of teaching is officially over, and it has thus far been my favorite year of teaching. Why? All the pieces seemed to have naturally fall in place this year as my management improved, my rapport with students improved, my relationships with co-workers got better, and I didn’t feel remotely stressed. That being said, there were still things that could have been better (mostly structurally and organizationally), but other than that I feel happy with the results achieved this year.

Perhaps the best way I can express my individual successes with my students this year is a poem I read this on the last full day of class. Encapsulated in the poem are all the elements of the year intertwined with historical knowledge we learned in class this year.

This is the final day of class
And so it’s time to say goodbye
I hope you had a blast
And enjoyed the lows and highs

This has been my favorite year of teaching
As much as I hate all of you
For your dreams you all will be reaching
So keep doing what you already do

Like the Romans you are all great
As long as you don’t let your empire fall
Try not to gain any more weight
Or else you’ll weigh as much as a mall

Like the Africans you all have stories to tell
Whether you decide to write or share out loud
And each of your stories is just as swell
And I hope you continue to make your parents proud

Unlike the Mayan Empire did
I hope you never disappear,
And that inside you all remain kids,
And that you have a great 8th grade year

Like the Chinese did in their time
I hope you discover new things
I hope you discover them in your prime
And see what the future brings

The samurai had a code to live by
And I hope you stay true to your heart
I hope you laugh and cry
And grow to actually become smart

If a feudal pyramid existed in here
I would put you all at the top
You all have success in your future sphere
And none of you will be flops

Shout-out to Period One
For being my best-behaved class
Look now you’re almost done
And you did it without much sass

Period 2 had the most energy and voice
And top-scholars you are all
You gave me really no choice
And your brains make me feel small

Period 4 was the most funny
And gave me lots of laughs
And also had lots of money
Not many of you had any gaffes

Period 5 did lots of bookwork
And annoyed the heck out of me
Even if there were some jerks
Some of you brought me lots of glee

And Period 6 was all of the above
And equally as happy and fun
I wouldn’t say that I love
But you made my days better in the sun

I hope with the year now done
That you all had a blast
Amidst the chaos and fun
I hope you learned much about the past

Even though most of you couples will fail
I hope you enjoy the bliss
All your females and you males
You’re all princes and princess

And as you grow up little dogs,
I hope you make the world a better place
You destroy all evil and the fog,
And you do it all with grace

Goodbye forever you fools
I’ll miss all of you I know
Even the ones that are too cool
And still have room to grow

Anyway, in addition to the obvious teaching I had to do, I continued to nurture relationships with students inside and outside of the classroom through community service events, field trips, and of course writing them goodbye letters at the end of the year. Here’s a slideshow that helps to recap most of the school year at large:

I don’t think I’ll ever teach a cohort as special as this group truly was, and so my efforts were ultimately done for a reason. My favorite Instagram posts from this year are embedded below to recap most of the rest of the year.

Also, nothing makes me happier than thank you notes or letters from students.

None of these would be possible without the continued support of everyone at our school, who continue to do everything with 100% effort, tenacity, and heart.

Where will the future bring? Will my future successes continue at Rise or will they continue elsewhere? Stay tuned in to this blog to find out.