It's all about the little things

Those of you following me on Instagram have seen the reservations I have had toward teaching high school. Not only did I teach elementary special education last year, but my entire undergrad and credential program focused on teaching at an Elementary level. So making the transition from elementary to high school has been a lot to digest. My brain ran wild the days leading up to school and the first week I kept thinking "How am I going to do this?", "What if they think I am treating them like babies?", "What will I be able to use from last year?". So far I haven't had much of an issue finding use for things, of course my Read Naturally curriculum isn't getting much use since I am teaching history (although I have thought about piecing through it and picking out the passages on historical figures). But the majority of my elementary classroom has made an appearance in my high school classroom. My decor has already been stated to be the cutest by many of my colleagues and I am A-okay with that! 

But what has really helped this rocky transition is the students. Don't get me wrong, I have had lots of support from my fellow staff members and the administration team, but the people who are with me the majority of the day are my students and I am grateful to have the group that I do. One of the aspects I have been enjoying most about high school is the amount of focus on their futures. College and career choices are conversations we have almost daily. And because I just finished college (my undergrad was finished a little less than 2 years ago) my students have really enjoyed asking me their questions and sharing their concerns and getting answers from someone with recent experience. 

I have students who think that college isn't an option for them and I have many parents under the same impression. But 3 weeks into the school year these students are the ones asking the majority of the college questions and they are starting to see that it most definitely is an option for them! 

I am realizing how much support these high schoolers are lacking, so they accept my support with open arms. It is really rewarding to see how happy my students get when I talk to them about the positive characteristics that they possess and how they can be successful after high school. It saddens me to think about how many people have just focussed on the negatives and not seen or shared the positives with these kids and their parents. 

I am excited to see what the rest of the year holds for us, I am so thrilled that I can mold and change the minds of these students who have been focussing on the negatives for far too long. 

So, high school is really growing on me, and believe me when I say that getting a sweet note from a "cool" high schooler is far more rewarding than the thousands of pictures and drawings I got from my elementary school kiddos (although those were totally cute).