WHAT'S ON MY MIND...
Just sharing some thoughts about education & life!
This year will be my tenth year in the classroom. As I am writing this, I feel a range of emotions about my status: excited, nervous, confident, prepared, nonchalant. The list goes on (sometimes it seems never ending). In our current digital age, which I like to describe as "exposure on steroids", it seems that everything is done for likes. We put our best lives on display for all to see. It's not often we consciously show ourselves at our worst, or want to be seen at all. That could open us up to ridicule and criticism. There were a few years in my teaching career where I wanted to be invisible to my students and their families once school hours were done. I even had a line in my Welcome Back to School speech where I told my students, "If you see me in public, don't speak to me. Just move on. Act like I'm not there." Yeah, I was that teacher. Some students were shocked, but I thought nothing of it. However, something happened that made me reevaluate my role as a teacher in the lives of my students and their families, and my teaching style in general. Here's the story... A few family members came into town and we decided to go to a local Italian restaurant for dinner. There were seven of us seated at one end of a very long table that had enough room for about six more people. While waiting for our meals, one of my students walks in with her parents and sibling(s) in tow. She notices me, smiles, and points me out to her family. As they are being seated, she gets nearer to me and her smile turns upside down. They walk by without saying a word and they are seated at the other end of the table. This made for a very awkward dinner for everyone. Her family didn't know why she didn't introduce them and my family wondered why they kept staring at us. That's when I remembered my line..."If you see me in public, don't speak to me." I felt like crap. She really wanted me to meet her family and they really wanted to say hello. My family wanted the opportunity to meet one of my "kids". I realized that I missed out on a chance to create a strong parent-teacher-student relationship. I made a student feel sad and possibly lost her parents' respect and cooperation. I vowed to never do that again and omitted that statement from my speech. As a member of the community my students live in, it is inevitable that our paths will cross. I now welcome those interactions, good and bad. I have met a lot of great people and forged some wonderful relationships. I also have fewer issues in class because the kids know that I "know their momma" and at some point we may meet and discuss their performance in class. It hasn't been easy, but it is worth it. I still have a lot to learn, but I know so much more compared to when I first started. I continue to grow, make mistakes, and learn, and I look forward to creating more parent-teacher-student relationships. WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!!!
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The 2016 - 2017 school year is done. I have completed my ninth year of teaching - 7 as a middle school math teacher and 2 as a high school chemistry teacher. So many things have changed; so many things remained the same.
I always take time out to do an inventory of the school year. This year is no different. I have made a few missteps and have had several successes. It's all a part of growing and becoming better. What I do know for sure is that teachers make a difference. The effort that we as teachers put into our lessons and activities makes a difference. It's easy to get frustrated and to feel that the four or five hours spent creating a lesson and supplemental activities was for naught. But to your students, it meant everything - they just can't/won't show it. They have to maintain their "coolness". Is it easy? Hell no! Is it worth it? Yes indeed!! How do you know? You know it when... ... a student smiles when they finally understand how to determine the number of molecules of AlCl3 when given a certain mass of AlPO4 and an unbalanced chemical equation (stoichiometry is THE proverbial thorn in a chemistry student's side). ... the class gets mad because you revealed the answer before they finished the problem and you now have to give them another problem to complete. ... students WANT to do the complicated, multilayered work. They want to be challenged because they feel empowered. ... students apply concepts and skills learned in your class to their other coursework. I enjoy what I do! I am an educator! I welcome this SHORT summer break; I deem it short because educators continuously hone their craft during their "off" time with Professional Development and other activities, mostly on their dime. And I look forward to what year 10 in my teaching career has in store for me! Hello!
I have finally decided to start a blog. This whole process is new to me, so I look forward to the journey. Hopefully there will be something in here that will inspire you, make you think, or just say, "WOW! I didn't know that!" A little bit about me... - I was born and raised in New Orleans, LA. I graduated from John F. Kennedy Senior High School (the school was torn down a few years after Hurricane Katrina hit) and Xavier University of Louisiana with a degree in Chemistry - math minor. - My family and I came to Hampton, VA in September 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina. - Before I became a Teacher, I worked as a chemist/laboratory technician in several different fields. My two favorites were the oilfield industry and trace metals/minerals testing. I look forward to what the future, and this blog, holds. Stay tuned!! |
Renita A. BosticA Chemistry Teacher that loves the lab life! Archives
August 2017
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