The first day I started in my permanent classrooms, I had an experience that assured me I would be accomplishing great things this year. The last two periods of the day, I am assigned to a 6th grade math class. When I first walked in, I introduced myself to the teacher and took some time to get accustomed to the culture of the class.
Almost immediately I noticed one child being very disruptive. He was calling out, getting out of his seat, and keeping other students from doing their work. The teacher seemed too overwhelmed to discipline the child, so I took it upon myself to try to get him to pay attention. After a few failed attempts, I whispered to him, “I have asked you a few times already. If you do not settle down, I will have to pull you aside and work with you in the back of the class.” He looked at me and immediately called out.
It seemed he only wanted some attention. When I sat down with him, he was able to grasp the concepts with ease. Once he finished his assignment, he ran up to his teacher and said, “Look! I finished!”
At the end of the day, the teacher took my aside. “ I just wanted to thank you, and let you know that was the first assignment he has handed in all year.” Being that it was mid-October, I was stunned. However, the experience was a great start to the year. I continue to work with that student, along with many others. I will always remember that day, as it was one of my most rewarding in-class experiences thus far.
-Caitlin, 23, corps member, Berwind team at Hopkinson School
Monday, June 1, 2009
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