All is well again. I'm a part of a staff group called "Take Back Our School" led by our assistant principal. We were presenters during last professional development and are actively seeking solutions to discipline/behavior problems at our school. Sometimes I wonder why I was asked to be on the committee, seeing how I don't have the best classroom management. But there must be a reason. Perhaps my organization charts and behavior reflection forms... Whatever the case, my cousin (teacher) was right; I need to hang out with more teachers. Facing 38 students four times a day is less daunting when I feel the connection to my colleagues, like there is an invisible fortification throughout the school made of the joined hands of the teachers. Even though it is purely psychological, because teachers actually have little or no control over student behavior, it is powerful. Honestly, teaching is a day-by-day endeavor. Too many expectations create depression when faced with low achievement, yet, too few expectations create a void where chaos reigns and my anxiety soars. My enthusiasm for the Spanish language has waned. I'm hoping for a school home where I can stay to refine the craft of teaching and rekindle my love of the subject I teach.
