Where have the days gone?

I don't like to have favorites, but the 5^th grade class is one of my favorites. Most the school and teachers have labeled the class as unmotivated and out of hand. My first day of teaching them was hard because they didn't listen or respect me. After the class ended, I was pretty discouraged, but I went to talk to ther previous 4^th grade teacher for advice. She gave me some very helpful tips like try teaching them something totally new, give them a lot of structure, and let them know when they are doing a good job. She and I decided that I would teach them hockey, since most of them had never touched a hockey stick before. One of the Canadian CRC missionaries had a mission team bring down 20+ hockey sticks to Nicaragua to teach kids how to play.

Since the first class period the 5th graders have been amazing, I started off the hockey unit telling them that I trusted them that they could handle playing hockey. One of the boys in the class has epilepsy, and if he gets hit in the head he could start having violent seizures. This made it very important for the students to follow directions and safety precautions. All of the students were excited to play and promised to behave in class. I look forward to each class period. They listen to directions, encourage one another, and display good sportsmanship when they didn't in the past. This class has been a blessing to me to see how drastic attitudes and actions can change so positivily.

posted by Sarah @ 1:31 PM