Well, last week at work was interesting, to say the least. Monday through Wednesday was very normal, nothing too exciting or new. Thursday morning I walked into the office and was told I would be helping out in one of the First Grade classrooms with one of my managers - who would be the substitute for the day. My job was to model positive behavior and reward students for good behavior with stickers. Those that continued doing well throughout the day were rewarded with what the children call 'smelly' stickers. My manager also brought in colorful plastic coins to reward exceptionally good behaved children. Wow, you should have seen their little faces light up! On Friday, the regular teacher returned to teach the class and I was in there all day doing what I had done on Thursday. My manager, however, would only pop in and out and was observing the classroom only on occasion. I was there to help any students with questions and to again, hand out stickers for good behavior. Friday went somewhat smoother than Thursday, but it was still chaotic and out of control, albeit not as much as the day before. Tomorrow (Monday) I will be in the classroom with the teacher and my manager will be absent as she will be at a meeting at the district office all day, so I am on my own. Am I worried, absolutely not. My manager and the principal have every faith in me that I will do my job and do it well.
Now, here's the real kicker of this whole thing. There are 3 other ELL-IAs who have been working at the school way longer than I have and another one used to be a school teacher for 10+ years. So, why, of all the ELL-IAs was I chosen over the others? For one, I am following in her footsteps - working toward the same end goals, I'm the only IA going back to school to get my teaching degree and we work well together. I ask questions if I don't understand something, I don't argue with her and I don't get angry with the kids. I get down on their level and talk to them quietly without getting mean. I'm positive and outgoing and learn quickly.
So...I was nervous at first, but now after doing it for a couple of days, I know I will be able to do it again tomorrow. I'm not quite sure how long this will last and tomorrow might possibly be the end of it, we shall see. We won't start our reading intervention until after Labor Day, so I may continue this path and learn all I can for when I become a teacher myself.
