![]() ![]() Because of you, I am looking at becoming a teacher when I grow up." It's moments like these that demonstrate the importance of a positive mindset. Boender, you always told me to do my best, and I just want to say thank you. Three years later, Jordan came down to my room to visit me. He had made amazing academic growth, but he still lacked confidence. ![]() But when he left my classroom at the end of the school year, I was left questioning if I had succeeded in my efforts. I encouraged Jordan, and praised him for his hard work and effort at every turn. I made it my mission to change his defeatist mindset over the course of the year. After all, he was a bright, funny, and kind student-he just lacked confidence. He'd often refuse to complete activities because he thought they were too hard, but I knew he was capable. Jordan was a student in my class during my second year of teaching. These are the students who are constantly saying, "I can't do that." I had one such student in my class, and the experience taught me how feedback and positive praise can change the way a student sees the world.įurther reading: First Generation Graduate Some students come into our classrooms with a mindset of helplessness. Seeing Eliot grow so much in my classroom was among the most rewarding experiences I've had as a teacher. This taught me the importance of being flexible and open to trying new approaches. Soon, he was able to identify not only his letters, but his sounds, too. Soon, I noticed things were clicking for Eliot in a way they hadn't been before. I began to incorporate more movement and songs into my literacy lessons. It made me question whether the way I was teaching was meeting his needs, so I decided to try a different approach. This was going to be a lot of work, but I was determined to conquer this unexpected challenge.Īs I continued to follow the literacy curriculum, I was continually frustrated with how little progress Eliot was making. I felt overwhelmed and frustrated because I believed my students would already know the alphabet by the time they got to my classroom. Eliot came into my kindergarten classroom at the beginning of the year not knowing any letters-he couldn't even sing the alphabet song. I had this type of experience during my very first year of teaching. This type of growth is one of the most rewarding experiences a teacher can have. There is nothing greater than when a student finally makes a leap in understanding-when things start to click within a student's mind, and they finally start to demonstrate skills that previously eluded them. Here are three student success stories that reaffirmed my love of teaching and reminded me why I keep doing this job. For example, one of my kindergarten students recently handed me a drawing of the two of us that said, "You r the best techr." Moments like this motivate me to keep on keeping on. It's easy to get bogged down by the day-to-day responsibilities of teaching, but sometimes the littlest things can snap you out of it. All teachers sometimes feel overwhelmed by frustration and negativity. ![]()
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