Today, I had the opportunity to go see some of my students' baseball game after professional development.  Well, actually, none of them were on the two teams that were playing.  Oops.  Despite that, I got lucky and was able to see a few of them in the crowd - K'veon, Keyjonae, Jamarion, Zy'Tayveya, and Naquavious.  Not only did I get to talk with them outside of a school setting, I was able to play a monkey-in-the-middle-esque game with Naquavious and his two family members.  Today ended really well.

 

Wednesday and Friday of last week were awesome; I was killing it in the classroom.  I felt it.  My faculty advisor commented on it.  Hopefully the kids experienced it.  This weekend was really good, too.  I got to spend time with a couple of groups of friends, got to experience "Morgan Freeman's Bar" - Ground Zero in Clarksdale, MS.  I finished my lesson plans on Sunday night for the entire week.  I was coming into today with so much momentum.  

 

I said that today ended really well, but it didn't start well at all.  Today we switched content, and I went from teaching reading to teaching math.  I felt like I had no control of my class.  A lot of them were uninvested in the lesson, even though that's something I was focusing on today.  Some were falling asleep, others talking, others simply not paying attention.  Of course this is the day that my School Director and Curriculum Specialist come and observe me.  Just dandy.  Anyway, I push through class, and afterward, look at the assessments.  Remember Naquavious from the baseball game?  Let me give you my favorite answer from the assessment:

 

Solve.

52+6=______

His answer:  713

 

NAQUAVIOUS WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME - YOU KNOW HOW TO DO THIS!  I SAW YOU DO IT EARLIER!

 

My kids test my patience sometimes (most of the time).  After class today, I wanted so bad to be done with them for the day.  I think I grew up a little, though.  I'm realizing that the days where I'm tested the most, the days where I'm frustrated the most, those are the days where I need the most to invest myself in my kids.  I know that the results that occur in my classroom are due to my leadership.  I know that when I teach from a place of frustration, I don't have those killer days like Wednesday and Friday.  

 

I don't know if I'll have an opportunity to go to any other baseball games while I'm down here in Mississippi, but I'm looking forward to things like this in North Carolina.  When my future Naquavious-es are putting 97 as the answer to 3+9= (Yes, that was one of his answers too), I just need to take a deep breath and find out how I can monkey-in-the-middle with him or her, too.