Teachers are amazing

I had the pleasure of volunteering in both boys' classes this week. I have been in Jay's class about 4 times but this was my first time in EE's class. I have tried to volunteer in EE's class before. The first time I showed up, the class had a visitor and I was not needed (so I went shopping instead). I then signed up for a Monday when the class has technology and again wasn't needed.

My one big responsibility is to coordinate the volunteer calendar. This really is not so difficult. It entails sending out a calendar via email to all the parents. I wait for responses and fill in the calendar as requested by the parents. It is typically the same parents who volunteer and they are consistent with their days month to month.

I have also ensured that the Friday folders have been stuffed for both classes. Again this is not a hard task but something that lightens the load for the teachers. It can take about 10 or so minutes per class.

One reason I like to be in the class is to observe the dynamics. I like to see who behaves and misbehaves. I also like to be able to ensure they are hanging out with nice people.

Jay's class has a few rambunctious kids but for the most part not too bad. Typically the kids read me a short book. There are a series of books from level C-K, and each level contains approx. 10 books. If they read the book with no issues, then I change it out for the next one in the series. The books then go home for them to read with their parents. I also get to play Scrabble Junior with the kids when they break out into groups. This is fun for the kids. I had one difficult group on Monday but other than that it worked out nicely.

Today in EE's class I figured out why the teacher has a reputation for yelling. She has some wild children in that class. I was first asked to read the class a book. I read the book "I have a little Dreidel". I have never heard of this book before (nor the song). The children then broke out into groups. The first group I had was one that needs a lot of help on their sight words. I was given a bucket of chips with words on them. I had the children say the word and then make a sentence. One little girl cried just about the entire time she was in my group. Actually she was crying off and on until the teacher made her go to her desk to read a book. The children in the group did not behave and did not listen. It was almost impossible to get their attention. It is very sad and I wonder if they will ever be able to learn what they need to progress. Needless to say I had this group for a good 45 minutes. The next group I got was so much better and EE was in that group. We played a game where they picked out three words and made a sentence.

I am amazed at how much the teachers have to do in a day. In first grade, the children change classes for math. So each teacher teaches a different level. However, for Reading and Language Arts the teacher has to break the kids out according to their level. She then works with each group in the time allotted. This means while she is working with one group, she has to ensure that the other groups are occupied and quiet. Our teachers have such a huge responsibility! I think they are amazing.