Teacher by day, Mommy by night

Teacher by day, Mommy by night
Juggling the demands (and insanity) of being a high school teacher, a wife, and a mother to a toddler
About hmoeckli


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October 28, 2007
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November 16, 2008
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hmoeckli - > Teacher by day, Mommy by night -> One week down, one more to go
One week down, one more to go
The first semester at my school is rapidly coming to a close. It's been such a hectic time, but every day this week I fell more and more in love with my kids.

First of all, we just got back from break, so that's always rough. On Monday, I felt I had to speak really slowly and use short sentences. They were just not keeping up. But they stuck with me and we actually did a group project the first day back, and it wasn't a total disaster.

The other thing that warmed my heart was how many of them really care about doing well in my class. I've been letting kids come after school to retake tests that they didn't do well on. The first day I only got a couple kids, but today I had almost 40. It was actually a lot of fun to hang out with them after school.  I made pop corn and we snacked as they took their tests. And they did so much better the second time around. I got home after 5, but I felt totally okay with it.

The last thing that reaffirmed my affections toward teenagers was that my wallet got stolen. Now, I know that seems weird, but it turned out fine. A kid stole it from my desk, but it wasn't the kid I thought did, and everything was still in my wallet. I gave a big guilt-trip speech in the class where I knew it was stolen, turned my back to the class for a minute, turned back around, and it had "magically" appeared on the book shelf.

What made me feel closer to my students was realizing how many of them have been victims of petty left. I had many really great conversations with kids who had never talked to me. All in all, it was a great week back.
Topics: work, Teenagers
posted by hmoeckli on Friday, January 11, 2008 at 05:28 PM
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2 comments from 2 users

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posted by creatress on Jan 14, 2008 at 09:17 AM

Wow. You sound like such a great teacher.

I feel the same way about the kids in my art class. Watching them blossom this year has been so much fun. There's times when they give me a headache, but most days I'm honestly sad when the class is over. Kids are so amazing.

I'm glad you got your wallet back.

posted by hmoeckli on Jan 14, 2008 at 01:07 PM

Thanks. I do try to put as much energy as possible into my job. That's why I know I won't be able to do this forever; it can be an uplifting job, but I've seen so many people become so bitter. I really try to get to know my students, so I'm doing it for them and not just for the paycheck. It's better when you're personally invested.

You teach art? That's awesome. I love seeing how creative kids can be. It is truly amazing.

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