I am an exceptional teacher. I know it because of the relationships I build w/ students, my classroom management, the learning that takes place, and the JOY I personally experience in the classroom.
But,
I also recognize how I fail miserably at being a good teacher “on paper.”
I (thoroughly) plan my lessons, but I don’t submit them. It’s what I’m “supposed” to do, but I’ve never understood why. If you want to see what’s happening my classroom, come in and see. Better yet, ask my students, in the moment.
My lessons are on my phone, or on colored sticky notes I keep in my pocket, or on my computer. That works for ME (and my kids). NOT submitting them into some file that honestly might not ever get checked. (Checking off boxes 😫).
A student of mine called me a B*TCH A** 🥷 at 7:45 in the morning as I arrived to school. I was completely caught off guard by his comment and felt it was unwarranted, but here’s how it all played out…🧵
I pulled into the school parking lot at 7:45AM, excited to get the day started. As I looked up through the windshield, I spotted three of my 8th grade boys, one of them pretending to hide his face from me. I chuckled, then greeted them with, “Good morning young Black kings!”🤴🏾
A millisecond after finished my sentence, one student (we’ll call him Chris), blurted out:
“Aye shut up, B*TCH A** 🥷.”
Chris and his friends laughed obnoxiously and sped away, but not before I got out of the car to address what had just been said to me.