First Grade Class: 2011-2012

Here is a picture of 9 of my 12 students.  The other three are just as crazy :)  The woman in the back row is the First/Second Grade Aid, Rocio.  She's awesome!

 

This year's class has 5 boys and 7 girls.  They represent at least that many countries, if not more- one thing I love about my job!  The two boys in front and the girl in the front right are new to this group and are making themselves quite at home.  The boy in the front row, second from the left only speaks Portuguese and Spanish, which makes it challenging to communicate what he should do, but even more challenging explaining what he did do was wrong and why.

 

We made it through our first full week and let me tell you, I am plum tuckered out!  We ended the week with a lot of tears and I almost joined the kids toward the end.  God and his provision are bigger than our troubles and emotions though, so we all made it through.

 

One struggle I am having with this class is that so much of my time is spent managing behavior, so I don't really get to teach.  I actually like to teach and we have more fun as a group when I get to, but the kids haven't caught on to paying attention and I keep forgetting that some of them are only five.  It took us 20 minutes to move from activities on the floor after lunch to sitting at our seats and paying enough attention that I could start the lesson, which was all the time we had for the lesson.  Needless to say I was quite frustrated and expressed my displeasure.  I felt terrible when L came in from P.E. and asked in the sweetest, most innocent, genuinely curious voice, if I was still 'disappointed' in them.  Man, that puts my frustration in perspective and makes me feel crummy. 

Please keep this in prayer... that I would be able to clearly communicate my expectations and the students would understand why I have them.  That we would all get on the same page so I don't have to manage behavior and we can all have more fun learning.  That my patience would not come from me, but would be abounding in the Lord and that I would LOVE them well inspite of my human self.

 

I truly desire to see each one of them in the beauty of which God created them and the hurts the world has given them, so that I can more deliberately and wholey love them.

 

Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers as I continue in this ministry!