Jellyfish!

May 6th, 2013
After a very rough bout with Primero 1A (my 9th graders), I was feeling a little down. I worked pretty hard on my lesson plan, spent the night making posters, and had activities that would allow them to talk to one another. Nothing went as planned, and when class ended I thought one down two to go. As I drifted down the hall to my class, I ran into some students from one of my other classes. "Hi Jameisha!" said the first student. "Hello!" I responded. One of the students promptly stuck out his hand and demanded a high 5, and I thought about leaving him hanging. Then before he could put his hand down I set my feet, said "Ok, ready?" "Yes!" he replied. As our hand came together I yelled, "Jellyfish!", insert a jellyfish hand motion. His astonishment only helped the situation. As he and the other two students laughed, I couldn't help but laugh with them. As I repeated the motion and said jellyfish clearly, so that they could understand, problems and concerns melted away.

Walking away together we parted at the stairs and as I began heading up they said, "Wait!" I paused briefly "What are our names?" asked one of the students. "Lorena, Christopher, and...[fake hesitation] Paulo," I said. Their smiles burned brightly as they realized I knew who they were. This transaction wasn't one-sided though. Laughter and smiles are contagious. They are the necessary fuel in order to make it through. If you look defeated, you've already lost.

A Thirst
This week during our English workshop, I want to continue to get my students thinking about what inspires them. Workshop is a time when students of any class and grade level can come to work on their English skills. I was so excited when the first week I found out that I have some students on the verge of conversation. So I brought something to challenge them the next week, however I realized it might have been a bit much. This week, I plan on bringing the same topic of "Inspiration" but this time give them better tools. I chose this topic, because these are the students who are already wanting to improve. These are the ones who want something more. Many of them are freshmen and they need to know that there is someone who believes in them.

May 9th, 2013
Seeing the students faces light up as they watched the video (down below) was a pretty big deal to me. I really needed a win this week. Although they probably didn't understand every word, or get every reference, you could see a spark. I was reminded yesterday that this video isn't just for the students though. This is for the teachers and it's for myself. It's for you and everyone you know who's working to improve the lives of others and their own life. Keep on keeping on!