There are amazing weeks, and then there are weeks that are not so amazing.
Unfortunately, this week has been the latter.
Even so, Stewart made my day/year/life today. Just when I had about hit rock bottom, he ran up to me out of nowhere with a huge hug. "I love you, Ms. Block!" he said. "I love you, too, Stewart!" He held on for a bit, then walked over to his grandfather who came to pick him up.
Stewart always has the perfect timing.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
A New Hope
Sharita wouldn't stand out in a crowd. She is quiet but attentive, shy until you get to know her. When she smiles, it's as if the world is a new, brighter place. Her smile, despite the bleakest of days, always gives me hope.
I met Sharita the first week of school. I had 190 students to assess for reading, and she was one of the first students that read for me. As a fifth grader, she barely read on a 3rd grade reading level. One of my college professors told me that you can tell what students you will connect with because of their personality. He was right. The minute Sharita and I met, we hit it off. Over the past two months, she has practically become my adopted daughter.
Then again, that fact can be attributed to more than her personality. Sharita is homeless. Both mom and dad are out of the picture. She is only 10, yet she has taken full responsibility of herself. She's only missed two days of school thus far, and that was because her homeless shelter had her hospitalized for an asthma attack. More important than her attendance is the fact that she comes to school to learn. Few students put as much heart into everything they do.
When I asked, "Why is this class important?" one of the first days of class, Sharita's response is something that has stuck with me every since. She said, "This class is important because it will get me out of the homeless shelter. If I can read, I can do anything." Since then, she and I have been working together on everything from phonics to reading comprehension. This week I have been assessing my students to see if they have made any progress toward the Big Goal. I was both excited and nervous to see the results, particularly Sharita's. After she had read several stories for the WRAP test, aced the phonics survey, and identified 287 of Fry's 300 Instant Sight Words, I could hardly believe the results.
Sharita has grown two years in reading over four weeks of instruction. She is seriously, honestly on the fifth grade reading level.
When I told her the results, tears came to her eyes. "Thank you, Ms. Block," she kept saying. "No, thank you!" I said back, trying not to cry. "Of course, this isn't good enough." Sharita looked confused. "Now we have to get you on a seventh grade reading level!" Both of us laughed and hugged.
But I wasn't kidding. Sharita's progress has given me a new hope: not only can I catch as many of my students up to grade level as possible, but I can also push them ahead.
Take that, achievement gap.
I met Sharita the first week of school. I had 190 students to assess for reading, and she was one of the first students that read for me. As a fifth grader, she barely read on a 3rd grade reading level. One of my college professors told me that you can tell what students you will connect with because of their personality. He was right. The minute Sharita and I met, we hit it off. Over the past two months, she has practically become my adopted daughter.
Then again, that fact can be attributed to more than her personality. Sharita is homeless. Both mom and dad are out of the picture. She is only 10, yet she has taken full responsibility of herself. She's only missed two days of school thus far, and that was because her homeless shelter had her hospitalized for an asthma attack. More important than her attendance is the fact that she comes to school to learn. Few students put as much heart into everything they do.
When I asked, "Why is this class important?" one of the first days of class, Sharita's response is something that has stuck with me every since. She said, "This class is important because it will get me out of the homeless shelter. If I can read, I can do anything." Since then, she and I have been working together on everything from phonics to reading comprehension. This week I have been assessing my students to see if they have made any progress toward the Big Goal. I was both excited and nervous to see the results, particularly Sharita's. After she had read several stories for the WRAP test, aced the phonics survey, and identified 287 of Fry's 300 Instant Sight Words, I could hardly believe the results.
Sharita has grown two years in reading over four weeks of instruction. She is seriously, honestly on the fifth grade reading level.
When I told her the results, tears came to her eyes. "Thank you, Ms. Block," she kept saying. "No, thank you!" I said back, trying not to cry. "Of course, this isn't good enough." Sharita looked confused. "Now we have to get you on a seventh grade reading level!" Both of us laughed and hugged.
But I wasn't kidding. Sharita's progress has given me a new hope: not only can I catch as many of my students up to grade level as possible, but I can also push them ahead.
Take that, achievement gap.
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