Small victories...

Small victories are what make me smile....this week, although it was crazier than I like most of them and filled with off task behavior and dis-respect, we had some small victories.

Maybe it was Trell writing a paragraph in English on universal health care and how health care would impact East Oakland.

Or Denzell comparing San Francisco to Oakland because he has lived in both places. He wrote some profound things which showed his critical thinking skills.

Or Lamont writing an essay on being a scholar and stating that I am his favorite teacher because I take time with him, understand where he's coming from and give him a lot of chances to stay in school.

Or my math class taking a GROUP quiz today....they were working together to solve problems. They were asking questions to one another and they were teaching each other. This is the SAME class and same group of students who were fighting a year ago. Instead, they were building one another up in order to score well on the quiz.

Or my english language learners doing GREAT on their biology quizzes---they are studying, learning and being pushed academically.

Yes, there will always be areas of improvement for my students and for me. But, I can feel myself becoming a better and more effective teacher and classroom manager. I can choose to focus on all the negatives happening around me or I can continually push myself and my students because they are amazing me. In just 3 weeks, I have already seen progress.

I have had a smile on my face just thinking about some of the things they accomplished this week. They are writing, they are reading, they are doing math and most importantly, they are working together to conquer their learning. From where I came from last year this is the biggest victory yet....