Today was the first day of school at the Catholic middle school where I'm teaching on the south side of Chicago. At times last week I was so anxious about this coming school year that I literally wouldn't have wished such feelings on my worst enemy. With the goals of not having a cerebral hemorrhage and not having a heart attack, last Friday night I prayed in earnest and consequently, I tremendously calmed down.
Thus, all things considered, I was relatively calm today. I woke up at 5:15 a.m. and read the Bible for an hour as usual. Later I wheeled the garbage bins out to the curb, since that's one of the tasks assigned to me here in the faith-based community in which I'm living with some of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Next I sat down to a bowl of cereal in the kitchen. At 7:00 a.m., the Brothers and I gathered for morning prayer, as we do every weekday.
After morning prayer, I gathered my things and headed for the door. As I walked through the living room, my fellow community members wished me well on my first day. I walked out the door. I stood on the stoop and I realized I didn't have the keys to the car. I turned around and headed back into the house.
As I entered the living room, one of those same community members asked me, "How was it?"
I replied, "I figured out that I'm not going anywhere without the keys to the car!" I headed back upstairs to my room, retrieved the car keys, and I was on my way. I had an uneventful 15-minute drive on surface streets from the house to the school.
Arriving at the school, I had a fairly mellow entrance into the classroom. The other teachers and I had spent all of last week preparing our classrooms and reviewing school procedures, so we were ready for today.
At 8:20, the kids stopped exercising in the gym, as they lined up in preparation to head upstairs for school. We walked the students upstairs and into the classrooms.
I'm teaching 7th Grade. One of my fellow teachers, Mark, will be teaching Math, Social Studies, and Religion. Another of my fellow teachers, Alison, will be teaching Science. I'll be teaching Literature as well as Writing. The entire 7th Grade, which is composed of 30 students, roughly equal numbers of boys and girls, is seated in one classroom.
Once we got the 7th graders seated in the classroom, we began our day. For the most part we reviewed procedures with them today. We also helped them to get to know us in easygoing fun ways. First Mark, Alison and I introduced ourselves.
After some brief announcements, I reminded the students the format of morning prayer together. Almost all of the 7th graders attended this school last year, so they have been very familiar with morning prayer at the school. As in all Lasallian gatherings, a prayer session begins with the prayer leader beginning, "Let us remember..." and the rest of those present completing the sentence by praying aloud, "...that we are in the holy presence of God."
Next a prayer, or prayers, of various lengths are said, usually out loud. I noted to the students that those prayers in the middle of the prayer session could be the same as the ones said the preceding day, or they could be different ones. I added that the important thing was that whatever one prays, it should be heartfelt and prayed with sincerity, since Jesus reminded us of the importance to pray earnestly.
After those prayers, the prayer leader begins, "Saint John Baptist de la Salle..." and the others present ask that saint, "Pray for us." At this school, next the prayer leader begins, "San Miguel..." and the others implore that saint, "Pray for us." Finally the prayer leader begins, "Live, Jesus, in our hearts..." and the other persons pray aloud, "Forever," finishing the prayer session.
After our morning prayer, we had the students play a game to get to know us better. We gave them sheets with grids on them. Each square contained a fact about one of us. However, the students had to determine, or to guess, which of us each fact described. We gave them 20 minutes to work in groups collaborating to decide who they thought each fact described. As I was circulating around the room, greatly enjoying watching the students trying to ascertain which of us teachers was the subject of each square, more than once I thought of saying to the other various adults in the room, "I think I might be enjoying this activity more than they are!" I was anonymously described on the sheets as one who has "eaten goat" (which I did when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco), as one who has been to Iceland, as one who has worked in a McDonald's, as one who used to collect postage stamps, and as one who is the youngest of three children.
Then Mark reviewed with the kids the system of "classroom economy." We're continuing a system which has been used in years past at the school through which kids, by behaving well, can earn classroom currency, which they can then redeem for various benefits, including getting to listen to music while reading, or getting to eat at certain times when they normally wouldn't be eating.
Next Alison reviewed classroom procedures with the students. First she had them read the policies. Then she had them gather in groups and work together to determine the right answer to questions as she quizzed them. I enjoyed seeing her transform what otherwise probably would have been a dry, boring activity for the kids into one which energized them with the motivation of competing against each other, and had them scrambling to find the right answer.
Soon after that, we had the kids taking reading tests to gauge their reading level, and to check to see if their reading level had changed over the summer. When the kids weren't taking the reading tests, I was helping them find books to read in the school library based on their reading levels from last school year. I recommended the book "Tuesdays With Morrie" to a couple of kids, and both of them decided to read that book. I'm excited to be placed at this school because the kids read for well over an hour during each school day.
At the end of the morning, Mark ran a session on how we can build community in the classroom. He directed the students to answer a number of questions on paper about how they would like to be treated, how they imagine we as teachers would like to be treated, and about the importance of rules, and about which specific rules are important to follow. I was most pleased to see that students had written that an important rule is to treat others as you would like done unto you, as Jesus directs us to do. I'm also thrilled to be teaching at this school since it instills these true Christian ethics in students.
In the early afternoon, the school day came to an end. The first day of a trimester at our school is always a half day. Thus, the students headed home in time for lunch. I'm further grateful to be teaching at this school since 98% of the students qualify for the government's free and reduced cost lunch. I'm happy to be trying to help teach impoverished children, to be trying to help poor folks, as Jesus taught us to do.
I'm glad to be trying to live my faith in my everyday life, including in my work. I'm grateful for this opportunity for so many reasons. I cherish the opportunity to serve, especially to serve those who don't have a lot. I feel such fulfillment in helping people who are struggling. As I help others, especially those who are disadvantaged, I feel such joy inside myself. I'm so thankful that I'm helping impoverished children in a classroom. It looks like it's going to be a wonderful school year.
Thus, all things considered, I was relatively calm today. I woke up at 5:15 a.m. and read the Bible for an hour as usual. Later I wheeled the garbage bins out to the curb, since that's one of the tasks assigned to me here in the faith-based community in which I'm living with some of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Next I sat down to a bowl of cereal in the kitchen. At 7:00 a.m., the Brothers and I gathered for morning prayer, as we do every weekday.
After morning prayer, I gathered my things and headed for the door. As I walked through the living room, my fellow community members wished me well on my first day. I walked out the door. I stood on the stoop and I realized I didn't have the keys to the car. I turned around and headed back into the house.
As I entered the living room, one of those same community members asked me, "How was it?"
I replied, "I figured out that I'm not going anywhere without the keys to the car!" I headed back upstairs to my room, retrieved the car keys, and I was on my way. I had an uneventful 15-minute drive on surface streets from the house to the school.
Arriving at the school, I had a fairly mellow entrance into the classroom. The other teachers and I had spent all of last week preparing our classrooms and reviewing school procedures, so we were ready for today.
At 8:20, the kids stopped exercising in the gym, as they lined up in preparation to head upstairs for school. We walked the students upstairs and into the classrooms.
I'm teaching 7th Grade. One of my fellow teachers, Mark, will be teaching Math, Social Studies, and Religion. Another of my fellow teachers, Alison, will be teaching Science. I'll be teaching Literature as well as Writing. The entire 7th Grade, which is composed of 30 students, roughly equal numbers of boys and girls, is seated in one classroom.
Once we got the 7th graders seated in the classroom, we began our day. For the most part we reviewed procedures with them today. We also helped them to get to know us in easygoing fun ways. First Mark, Alison and I introduced ourselves.
After some brief announcements, I reminded the students the format of morning prayer together. Almost all of the 7th graders attended this school last year, so they have been very familiar with morning prayer at the school. As in all Lasallian gatherings, a prayer session begins with the prayer leader beginning, "Let us remember..." and the rest of those present completing the sentence by praying aloud, "...that we are in the holy presence of God."
Next a prayer, or prayers, of various lengths are said, usually out loud. I noted to the students that those prayers in the middle of the prayer session could be the same as the ones said the preceding day, or they could be different ones. I added that the important thing was that whatever one prays, it should be heartfelt and prayed with sincerity, since Jesus reminded us of the importance to pray earnestly.
After those prayers, the prayer leader begins, "Saint John Baptist de la Salle..." and the others present ask that saint, "Pray for us." At this school, next the prayer leader begins, "San Miguel..." and the others implore that saint, "Pray for us." Finally the prayer leader begins, "Live, Jesus, in our hearts..." and the other persons pray aloud, "Forever," finishing the prayer session.
After our morning prayer, we had the students play a game to get to know us better. We gave them sheets with grids on them. Each square contained a fact about one of us. However, the students had to determine, or to guess, which of us each fact described. We gave them 20 minutes to work in groups collaborating to decide who they thought each fact described. As I was circulating around the room, greatly enjoying watching the students trying to ascertain which of us teachers was the subject of each square, more than once I thought of saying to the other various adults in the room, "I think I might be enjoying this activity more than they are!" I was anonymously described on the sheets as one who has "eaten goat" (which I did when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco), as one who has been to Iceland, as one who has worked in a McDonald's, as one who used to collect postage stamps, and as one who is the youngest of three children.
Then Mark reviewed with the kids the system of "classroom economy." We're continuing a system which has been used in years past at the school through which kids, by behaving well, can earn classroom currency, which they can then redeem for various benefits, including getting to listen to music while reading, or getting to eat at certain times when they normally wouldn't be eating.
Next Alison reviewed classroom procedures with the students. First she had them read the policies. Then she had them gather in groups and work together to determine the right answer to questions as she quizzed them. I enjoyed seeing her transform what otherwise probably would have been a dry, boring activity for the kids into one which energized them with the motivation of competing against each other, and had them scrambling to find the right answer.
Soon after that, we had the kids taking reading tests to gauge their reading level, and to check to see if their reading level had changed over the summer. When the kids weren't taking the reading tests, I was helping them find books to read in the school library based on their reading levels from last school year. I recommended the book "Tuesdays With Morrie" to a couple of kids, and both of them decided to read that book. I'm excited to be placed at this school because the kids read for well over an hour during each school day.
At the end of the morning, Mark ran a session on how we can build community in the classroom. He directed the students to answer a number of questions on paper about how they would like to be treated, how they imagine we as teachers would like to be treated, and about the importance of rules, and about which specific rules are important to follow. I was most pleased to see that students had written that an important rule is to treat others as you would like done unto you, as Jesus directs us to do. I'm also thrilled to be teaching at this school since it instills these true Christian ethics in students.
In the early afternoon, the school day came to an end. The first day of a trimester at our school is always a half day. Thus, the students headed home in time for lunch. I'm further grateful to be teaching at this school since 98% of the students qualify for the government's free and reduced cost lunch. I'm happy to be trying to help teach impoverished children, to be trying to help poor folks, as Jesus taught us to do.
I'm glad to be trying to live my faith in my everyday life, including in my work. I'm grateful for this opportunity for so many reasons. I cherish the opportunity to serve, especially to serve those who don't have a lot. I feel such fulfillment in helping people who are struggling. As I help others, especially those who are disadvantaged, I feel such joy inside myself. I'm so thankful that I'm helping impoverished children in a classroom. It looks like it's going to be a wonderful school year.
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