Scientific Facts

I had my first of three formal observations by my principal today. This is something that you grow very accustomed to in your first few (several?) years of teaching. Last year, I was observed by the principal who hired me right before she left her position mid-year. It went terribly. She interrupted me several times throughout the lesson, made me feel like I had done a terrible job, and then never actually wrote an evaluation for me before she left because she was totally checked-out by that point. Fast forward to last March, in the middle of me thinking I no longer had a job at my school, I got observed three times in one month (in the middle of state testing) by a very intimidating evaluator that I didn't even know. All of this is to say that having my principal, who I greatly respect and truly like, come in today felt like a breeze comparatively. I think it went well, and she even left a really kind note in my mailbox saying some great things she saw and that we'll talk more on Monday. 

I must have been holding a lot of tension or anxiety or something in leading up to my observation because after it was over I was totally exhausted. I was supposed to teach math, but just could not bring myself to do it. So instead of saving our video that went along with ELF for Friday, like I intended to, we watched it today. It was about photosynthesis, and as we talked about it after the video, our discussion somehow took a turn towards talking about planets and stars and the rotation of the earth. And then every kid wanted to share the amazing scientific facts they knew - like how "that line in the middle of the globe (the equator) is really hot because all of the lava from inside the earth is coming out of it." I might be the most scientifically-challenged adult I know, but at least I knew that was way off base.

Later in the day, we were talking about families for social studies, and one of my babies raised her hand and asked, "What if both your mom and your dad are in jail?" I already knew this about her, and that she lives with her aunt, but had never talked about it with her at all. While the rest of the kids were writing about their families, I pulled her aside to have a chat. Her aunt had mentioned during conferences that her mother would be getting out soon, which frankly makes me a little nervous for how that's going to affect my student. After asking her just a couple of questions, the floodgates opened and she kept telling me story after story, all of which were heartbreaking to one degree or another. I let her know that whenever she is feeling sad or angry (which I can see in her often) she can come talk to me. About fifteen minutes after we talked, she came up to me and said, "Thank you for letting me talk to you about my family," and it took everything I had not to burst into tears.

One of the most overwhelming things about this job for me is how much I grow to love these little people, and how little control I have over what their lives look like.