Further Reflections - from the entire semester

So Jon and I were talking and he suggested that I take some time to reflect on some things outside of the typical day to day blogs.

One thing that I've noticed is how much I will miss my class of students when the semester is over next week. Despite the challenges of teaching remedial English to college students who are lazy and admit to being so, I have really grown to love my students and the experience of teaching them. There have been some really great moments that have made me feel like a good teacher....like the time I told one of the boys who seemed to care very little about the class that his article was an example to the class...or the time that I helped a few of the girls figure out solutions to issues they were having in their classes...and the student who, after missing 9 classes (not consecutive), turned in the longest project 3 and a huge autobiography of her life for project 5...especially the letter that one of my students wrote to a person who should still be her enemy, but someone she decided to reconcile with for her own good; a letter that was the best piece of writing she had done all semester, one in which her passion came out instead of her b.s. voice for an assignment she didn't really care about.

And as I think of all of these great moments, it makes me wonder what I did to render such moments. The only thing I can think of is that I made an effort from day one to learn my students names and to encourage them in their work...especially when it was good, but even more (which was often), when their work was much less than what they were capable of doing. I made an effort to let them know that I was there for their benefit and would help them whenever needed. I explained to them why I had them do certain activities and what they needed to learn before they could leave my class. I let them know how much their honesty meant to me, even if it was harsh and not what I wanted to hear....
All in all, I think it was this relationship building that made this class at least a little bit successful.

Will my students leave knowing all they should about grammar and punctuation and spelling? NO! But they know where they struggle in their writing and they know what a writing process is. They know that there are different styles of writing. They know that they write the best work when they personally care about their topic and that their work will never be as good when they have to write about something they don't care about. They know that good writing isn't something that someone can accomplish alone, it is something that needs the help and support of others.

And what do I know? I know that if I let me students know who I am and what I stand for, that that is all that matters. I need to do my best, not compare myself to others, and just do what I know will work for my class. I know that I need to learn from my mistakes and keep record of all the things I do, whether they were good or bad. I know that collaboration is a must to being successful as a teacher. I know that I need to really be excited about what I'm teaching so that my students can at least pay attention while I'm trying to teach something. And I need to let them know that I'm paying attention...when their heads are down, when they're sleeping, when they're plagiarizing, when they're confused...

It's been a good semester...and although I wish I could do it over again (the teaching of this class, not the other things), I'm satisfied with the effort I gave and the things that I learned. And I know I am a better teacher because of it!