Teaching is
challenging. There are moments that can leave one frustrated, disheartened, and
overwhelmed. There are times in which you can feel those and other negative
emotions so often over the course of the nine month calendar year that when the
positives do come along, you inadvertently brush over them because you're
caught up in that mental downward spiral.
I don't want
that to be my long lasting memory of the 2017-18 school year, so I'm writing
this story down.
Students at my
school take a test called STAR several times over the course of the year, but
for purposes of this blog post I want to focus in on the first (second week of
the school year) and last (end of April/beginning of May) times they take it,
as their academic growth for the school year is measured by comparing those two
results.
Students who
either show a year's academic growth or score at/above their grade level in
both the end of the year reading and math tests receive a special reward from
our principal this year. That reward is a visit to the local YMCA on the second
to last day of school; kids will have the opportunity to swim and/or play
various games in the gym if their STAR scores meet the aforementioned criteria.
This past
Monday and Tuesday were testing days for my class. I of course was rooting for
all of the kids in my class to qualify for the reward, but there was one girl
who I was particularly focused on when I first learned about the YMCA trip.
It's not appropriate for me to go into great detail, but I can say that she has
dealt with some tough times over the course of her short life. The
awful circumstance of growing up in poverty has been her reality for as long as
I've known her (likely her entire life) and she faces many other related
challenges. If you use your imagination when it comes to specifics, you'll
probably be right more times than not.
On Monday, Sara
(not her real name) blitzed through the reading test much more quickly than she
should have, and her score came up short of the goal. On Tuesday, her math
score came up slightly above grade level! On Wednesday the principal encouraged
the third grade teachers to retest any students who we felt could improve upon
their first score, so I decided to give it a shot with Sara.
The second (and
final, regardless of the result) time around I had her read the test aloud as she worked her way through;
this was not against the rules at any level. It was simply a way to get her to
slow down and focus in on the task at hand. Even with that modification in
place however, I was skeptical she'd make the cut. Reading has always been a
struggle for her. Nevertheless, I still had a sliver of hope.
At this point
I'm sure you can tell where this story is going. When Sara finished the reading
test, she came over by my desk and I called up her score on my pc. When it
popped up, I let out a yelp, then made eye contact with her. I had yet to utter
a word, but she immediately knew what I knew.
Her surprised
expression.
Her sparkling
eyes.
Her magnificent
body language, complete with both hands cupped to her mouth.
What a moment
in time. I'm all sorts of choked up recalling it for this write up.
Sara visiting
the YMCA is akin to you or I visiting Buckingham Palace. The odds of her ever
getting to go there outside of this trip are somewhere between slim and none.
However, for several glorious hours at the end of next month she's going to be
there, undoubtedly feeling like she's experiencing heaven on Earth.
As excited as
she is about the upcoming visit, I dare say I'm a notch higher. You see, I get
to witness a child's immeasurable joy first hand come May 22nd. Yes, teaching
is challenging. It's also indescribably wonderful.
