Happy New Year...

Today marks the second day of the new school year.  I have a new position as "interventionist". I kinda love that it is a powerful sounding title. In short, it just means that I help students who are having some trouble with reading skills. This first couple days have been pretty boring. Just a lot of setting up the classroom and trying to figure out just how to structure my new job. I have to admit that I am  a little jealous of the classroom teachers and all the fun they seem to be having setting up their new rooms.  I am certain that as the year goes on my jealously will wane.

So here is the gripe for today:  WHY DID YOU NOT TELL YOUR BABY HE WAS RETAINED? As a teacher it is hard enough having to retain a student. I mean who wants to be the one to have a kid stay back another year? Not me.  I hate having to retain even kids who have done nothing during the year but stick their fingers up their nose, but to not tell your child until the first day. That is a mess.

One student that I had last year was retained and in the 2 days we have been at school he has given his new teacher hell.  On the first day it was hard to even get him to walk into the room because he realized that he was not moving to second grade with his friends in the cafeteria.  He has had this look on his face the few times I have seen him that has just been heartbreaking.

So today I called him into my new "office" (please understand that this is my old classroom with no students) and asked him what the problem was.  His response.  " I  am supposed to be in second."  After a 30 minute conversation as to why he just did not second grade, he decided to go back to class (most likely because he was tired of hearing me choke up) and give this new school year at the  old grade level a second shot.

But WHY would you put your kid through that? He is not the only one.  There are several kids who did not find out their status until the day the school bell rang. I guess this was just another something parents choose not to do and to leave on the teacher.

I guess I am not so jealous of that classroom after all.


(I think) I love my (new) job!