Princess in the Castle (Or Something Like That)

Once upon a time, there was a princess who dreamed of being queen of the school. She had visions of tidy desks in a row, and a class full of smiling, happy students who were ready to learn. She had been warned of the "little Anitas" and other "less appealing" aspects of teaching, but she shook it all off and just knew she would never have a student that she could not manage. She would just have perfect students. After all, in all of her classroom simulation lessons over the years, no one really could phase her. So that meant she knew it all, right?

Fast forward a few months later, and this princess who dreamed of a castle in which she would teach is still in shock. There are no tidy desks, and the vast majority of her students come from desperate situations, and she spends a lot of her time herding cats (not literally). 

In case you haven't picked up on the analogy, I'm the princess who expected this whole thing to be gentle and easy. I will be the first one to admit that I follow tons and tons of teachers on Instagram. Many of them are sponsored by Teachers Pay Teachers and other educational sites. But I know we all go on those teacher feeds and see what other teachers have going on. 

I'll never forget how, over the summer, there was one teacher who literally posted hundreds of pictures of her classroom on Instagram. She spent the. entire. summer. working on what her classroom looks like. She had the most amazing activities and units designed, ready to go for the upcoming year. She had all of her desks in a row (which is symbolic of having your ducks in a row for teachers) with cutesy decor everywhere. Looking back, she probably spent $1000 on that classroom and I watched (with excitement) all summer long. And when her students arrived in August, they were probably perfect little angels. 

After I did a little more research, it seemed like all of these teachers on Instagram were living fabulous lives of Starbucks and an unlimited line of credit at Hobby Lobby. They held their position in an area of influence which allowed them the extra luxuries of not needing to worry about some of the things that impoverished schools worry about on a daily basis. Their students come from backgrounds that support education. Their students' parents are involved in daily operations of the classroom. I know this and can see this in NCTCS 2B and 2C. 

So you could imagine my surprise when I came to the realization that poverty really, really affects a child's ability to learn. I've found that there are several basic needs that every student has in order to fully learn. Those are:

• trust
• respect (from self and others)
• a voice that matters
• love

With that being said, that is one of the biggest things I have learned so far this semester. I had these big plans of a cutesy classroom with perfect students who never talk out of line...and boy....was I wrong. I've learned strategies on how to truly reach out to my students and meet them where we are. We might not have the flashiest center materials or the best ability to stay on task, but when my students make progress, I make sure they know it. When I find one of my students building another student up, I make sure they know it. When I realize that the four walls of that classroom may be the only place that some of my students experience trust, respect, a voice and love, that changed everything for me. 

I found an article that I believe profoundly states what I've been thinking on for the past few weeks. This article talks about the effects of poverty on children in public education, and is definitely worth a read! 

If I can't be the queen with the neat desks and perfect students, I want to be the teacher who shows my students they have a right to education, because knowledge is power (NCTCS 1D).