All last school year I went to class one night a week. There were about six other women in my class and almost all of them are reading specialists. What that means is that they work with struggling readers all day long every day of the week. These women were awesome! The things they knew, the strategies they used with their students amazed me. They were always going to conferences and workshops. These women were definitely professionals! They also intimidated me. Here I am at home with my kiddos all day while the world of education continues on without me. Which is fine, but I definitely am not the expert these women were in the field of struggling readers, especially the youngest students. Going to class was always a bit intimidating. Here these women are getting their degrees so they can have a degree that matches the job title they already have. 90% of what we were learning they already knew because it is what they did all day at school and most of them could have taught the class. Then this week I saw a mom of a student I worked with last fall. She said she had been meaning to call me and tell me how much her child has improved and she wanted to thank me for everything I did for him. She said they had been using some of the ideas I gave them to work on at home and she could tell they were really working. That made me feel so good. I know I know what I am doing. I also know I don’t know half of what those other teachers know, but I am getting there.
Intimidation and Appreciation
Saturday, June 30, 2007
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