Letter from a Middle School Teacher

Dear parent,

     While I can understand your concern for your son, I would like for you to understand my concern for my 157 kids.

     Here is how my typical day goes, so please read and try to see my side of this elaborate puzzle we called school.

     It is 4:30 in the morning and I am getting up to get ready for the rest of my day. In the next hour, "my hour," I will have some coffee, run the washer, and iron my blouse that I just got out of the dryer. You see, I spent last night at my son's piano concert and my daughter's soccer practice. I will also spend about 30 minutes reading my Bible and praying. Then, it will be time to get the rest of the house up. Your day probably starts the same way. Most of us mothers can relate to each other's mornings.

     Now it is 6:30am and I am in my classroom recording grades in my grade book and meeting with my teammates to discuss the upcoming district assessment. By 7am, there are 4 students at my door needing my attention to either retake a test or needing tutoring. At 7:25am, all but two are gone. Those remaining two are in my first period class, but I write them a pass to go grab some breakfast because I know they don't get any at home in the morning and they are on the "free meal" pass.

     It's 1st period and you are worried your child isn't going to pass the quiz on the Pythagorean Theorem, but I am concerned for Carlos who has had to work all night to help support his mom and little sister. He will fall asleep again today and I need to do what I can to help him awake and also keep the other students from ridiculing him. You see, his dad ran away with is his new girlfriend and left him and the rest of the family behind.

     Now it is 2^nd period and you have no worries because your son is in his English class; the “favorite” class. Meanwhile, I am working with a small group of boys who are at least weeks behind because they have been home due to deaths in their immediate family. You are thinking, “What are the odds?” Greater than you would imagine, especially with a war going on.

     3^rd period is my conference period, but you are worried your son doesn’t really understand the significance of the Vietnam Conflict and won’t be able to add to the class discussion. The discussion is for a grade. I, on the other hand, am using my 42 minutes to go to the bathroom; my first opportunity since 6:55am and making 160 copies of my classroom discussion and lecture because I believe they are helpful for ALL of my kids, not just those who have a plan that requires them. I am also adjusting my 6^th period lesson plan and creating a Guided Reading form for them because I see that because that class requires a slower pace, they will need more guidance. I am also grading the quizzes from three days ago because this is the 1^st time I have had the chance. Day before yesterday during my conference, I spent the majority of it in a Special Education meeting and they yesterday, I met with a parent to discuss her daughter’s dyslexia needs. Both meetings were equally important because they were about how to better assist my kids.

     4^th period is a split class. I will have 32 kids in my class, while your son is at lunch. I will be working with a hungry group who doesn’t seem to think the content of the class relates to them at all. That is their thoughts, of course, not mine. I know that I have to make it relevant and real for them. So, with the help of other teachers in our department who struggle with students finding relevance, I created a You-Tube video to share with the class. We worked the majority of our Saturday on this video and even though it is very amateur, it does the trick. As I play it through the first time, the kids laugh and stare at me as if I am crazy.

     Now it is time for them to go have their lunch. During my 30 minute lunch, I make sure they all get out the door to lunch. Run to the bathroom again. Eat and prep for the rest of the class.

     When they return, we do the second viewing. With a rubric in front of them, they analyze and critique the video for how well the class content was presented. This takes half the remaining time. Then in the remaining time, I have them move to work with a small group sharing and comparing their rubrics. Tomorrow, we will look the their rubrics as a class and discuss the “grade” they give us teachers for our correct use of the content. AS the bell rings, the kids are still talking about how their teachers “got it all wrong.” I am beaming!

     5^th period is my smallest class with just 27 in the room. We are able to get through the same content my 1^st period class did because now they have eaten and are fresh again. I can tell who had the Coke for lunch and who had water. Coke=more energy and Water=a need for restroom sooner. I plan for this so that I don’t have the most important piece of the lesson going on in the last 30 minutes of class because many will leave the room. I have two who leave within the first 10 minutes, though, to go to the nurse to take their medications. They will be fine. They are both very aware of what they are missing and have worked with me to find them “buddies” in the class who can help fill them on what they missed in those few minutes they are gone. This class is the one that really needs the copies of the notes in their hands during the class, so I make sure to have one of the students hand them out every day.
       
     6^th period is my class with your son. By this time of the day, the students and staff are slowing down and I do my best to keep this class on track. I have adjusted this lesson to include more group work and more physical activity. We start as a whole group where I explain what we will do. Then I have them move to their first small group. Here, they will read a section of the text to themselves and create a outline/paragraph that explains the key vocabulary and concepts in their section. They will work on this till the timer goes off. Then they will shuffle to their second small group that will have a representative from each of the first small groups in it. They will then present to each other what they outlined in their first group related to their section of the text. This way everyone will get a brief summary of the sections of text. They are using the Guided Reading form I created this morning and is very helpful to keep them on track and to find the key concepts. AS they are working, I have been walking around the room assisting, redirecting, affirming and questioning. I have noted that Samantha seems to be having a rough day. Maybe she had another fight with her mom. She will come see me at the end of the day to talk or just sit. She usually does. Your son, on the other hand has taken a leadership role in his group and is effectively keeping the discussion going. As the students rearrange the desks back, I stop him to tell him. “Thank you for your hard work today.” I also spend a moment to jot down a few notes in my journal to remember how will this lesson worked and what I need to adjust for next time.

     7^th period has arrived and your son is in athletics, but my 29 kids are not. The majority are tired, grumpy, and frustrated by the day they have already had. They just want to go home and play soccer or with their Xbox. AS I show the You-Tube video the first time, they react is the same but the second showing requires I monitor the “sleepy heads.” As they start working in their small groups, I notice Robert has another mark on his wrist that looks like a cigarette burn. He has let his sleeve creep up and didn’t notice. You see, it is 102 degrees outside, but Robert can't wear shorts and t-shirts. He knows people will see. This will be my 3^rd call to Child Protective Services for him. My frustration is high because it seems to be taking them so long to do anything definitive. This will be my umpteenth night of tears and fears for him. Slowly the period comes to an end and as Robert leaves, I tell him I will be praying he has a safe weekend. I don’t feel worried about telling him that I pray for him because he knows and appreciates my concern for him and isn’t offended. I suspect his mother might be.

     2:30pm and your son is standing at the front door of the school waiting for you to get through the parent pick-up line. I and twelve of my kids are just opening our textbooks. Seven of them need tutoring; three are going to re-learn so they can re-test; one is trying to catch up from having been absence while in the hospital being evaluated after a diabetic seizure; lastly is Samantha. She can’t bring herself to go home and tell her mother she is sorry. She knows the fight was just as much her fault as mom’s, but she hates saying she was wrong. She has told me many times that she just doesn’t like her mom much. I feel for her.

     By 4pm, the room is empty and quiet as I sit at my desk journaling. I find this a necessary habit for my lessons, my sanity and my 157 kids. As I go home, my prayer is that I will never overlook ALL the needs of ALL my kids; ALL my kids, even your son, who is as important as every other one of them.

Sincerely,

Your son's teacher