The Year of Teaching Gratefully

Well, here we are again. The end of another school year! I can hardly believe it is actually here! I finished up year 15 and it was one that challenged me and showed me that I absolutely love seeing kids push themselves creatively. When people asked me about teaching this year I told them that I was basically doing my dream job. I got to teach language arts electives {which I wrote about in last year's post here} and while it was a ton of work because I had to create a new curriculum for each class and I worked almost every weekend, the fun, like the literal fun I had with kids reading, writing and speaking every day blew me away. 

I also had the absolute privilege to build some wonderful relationships with a few kids like I’ve never really been able to before. My journalism class was truly special. It ended up being a class of 15 7th and 8th-grade girls. And, let me tell you having a class of all girls was the bomb.com. I loved it! We talked about all the things you would think we talked about. One of my favorite days was our discussion about sexism around women having periods and how uneducated our society is about them. They didn’t understand why there’s such embarrassment around a natural experience women have every month and why men {and, frankly many women!} aren’t taught more explicitly to understand it or accept it. Preach, girls! Preach! 

Another fun day was when we tried to navigate the notoriously frustrating yearbook site and ended up making up school-appropriate cuss words. We really gave that website a shovel of flame guts when it crashed. It was a real annihilation most days! {Thanfully, flame guts aside, the yearbook ended up being awesome and I am super proud of my girls!}

 

In addition to my journalism class, I had a small pod of students who I bonded with because of the combination of my planning period bumping up to my lunch. I was able to forge relationships with kids during their lunches because they would come to my classroom and we had time to chat and vent. I saw firsthand how thrilling and devastating friendships and relationships are during this time in life. And, for the record, teens/preteens with social media borders on dangerous! {I know I sound old, but...!} Dang it kids can be mean online! They post stuff that is truly, truly awful! I wish I wasn’t as surprised as I was with what kids showed me, but dang it, I was! Yikes!

This silly, old office chair ended up being the chair that kids would sit in when they wanted to chat with me. I had to "Marie Kondo" it at the end of the year because of space, and I really did thank it for its service! 

Scary social media aside, these relationships were so fun and I am grateful that they were a part of my school year. I tried to soak in and treasure the moments I shared with the people that were in front of me. Some shared random, funny stories while some shared tearful intimate fears and problems they were having with friends or family. I felt a connection that seemed to seep into my molecules a bit more this year and it was a true gift for me as I continued to heal and grow from a crazy shift in what this job is and what it means to me. 

Another pure, unadulterated joy I found this year was my bond with my students, all of my students, whether they liked it or not, and Taylor Swift. If you follow me on Instagram, you know my obsession with my best friend Tay. Well, I brought that obsession into my classroom, and attending the Eras tour in March didn’t lessen my obnoxious devotion one bit. I’m going to the July show in Denver, so the nonstop playlists and Lavender Haze kept growing. These kids had no chance. They were stuck with any sort of reference I could make to her, random trivia, {her favorite dessert is cheesecake!} and yet another countdown to the July show. {46 days as of today!}

One of a few thank you notes I received that mentioned Taylor Swift. Oh, and my love for Starbucks too. #basic

Of course, in the midst of all this goodness, I am not totally delusional. Teaching in America and in Colorado still comes with its share of heartache and struggle. The hoops we have to jump through to do what we love really sucks. The constant fight for respectable pay, understanding the real terror of gun violence within our workplace, and our need to “justify” what we do is exhausting. There are district issues and building issues to deal with too. These issues, unfortunately, hit close to home for me.

I got caught in the crosshairs of a budget cut and have had to mourn the loss of this year’s dream job. I am VERY grateful to not only have a job, but to have a job that will hopefully have some crossover with my skill set, but I am also terrified…so here it goes…

Folks, I am going to be a 7th-grade social studies teacher next year. The curriculum for 7th grade is ancient civilizations--technically it’s called, World Area Studies: Eastern Hemisphere. Hmm. I’m not sure either! 

All I know is that I will really, really try to be creative with how I present information and I will hopefully get to help students be creative with helping them see their place in the scope of history and how their story matters within the stories that we’ll explore. I also know that I need to learn a shit ton of stuff I don’t know about! Like, a whole new professional vocabulary I know nothing about. At year 16 of teaching and year 52 of life… BUT! I love a new challenge, right? {HELP ME, BABY JESUS!}

I received several amazing thank you notes and messages in my yearbook that moved me and reminded me that all the work is worth it. The one below is one that just took my breath away. It’s relatively simple, but the power it holds for me is monumental. 

Dear Mrs. Laniel,

It has been a whole semester since your class and I can’t forget the magical feeling I got when I was in your class. I felt free and as if the possibilities were endless. I am so sad that Speech and Debate is not being offered anymore, that class was truly amazing. Thank you for inspiring me. I feel very fortunate to be surrounded by people who have been nurtured by you. I will miss you!

This meant so, so much to me. I just started bawling when I read this because these words captured what I have tried to build with kids. I know in my heart that no matter what I teach I will strive to be a safe space for students to be themselves. I will strive to give them a space to be nurtured. I will strive to be myself even if I don’t know what the Neo-Assyrian Empire is. 🙂

So, as summer starts and I begin my routine of doing some crash course history learning, reading novels I’ve put off, binge-watching shows, hanging out with my nieces and nephews as much as possible {oh, and their parents too!}, going to the neighborhood pool, planning our trip to the CABIN!, planning my parents 80th birthday party and family reunion, and of course seeing Taylor in July, I will continue to reflect on how lucky I have been to learn and grow with these crazy kids. I still love teaching middle school even if I have to learn a brand new curriculum to do it and I have more gray hair because of it. 

Cheers to summer break, everyone!