8th grade part deux
The last time that I was in 8th grade was eighteen years ago in 1990. Oh the memories. My first real boyfriend and my first real kiss (at Lowndes Middle School, nonetheless!). It was a really good year in which I excelled academically and personally, a year which secured my fate to become a teacher.
That was the year that I met Marnie Cowart. She was my 8th grade English teacher, and we were her first class. During the course of the year, she became engaged (in front of my class) and got married. She also fell victim to the common and unfortunate cattiness of middle school girls who were used to getting their way and were determined to get her fired because she, Miss Cowart, did let them do what they wanted. I'm not sure why we connected, but we did. And because of her, I realized that even though teaching wasn't the coolest profession, it was what I was destined to do. (This was not entirely clear though until I had a teacher who was the polar opposite in high school. That teacher inspired me to become a teacher because I never wanted a student to have a teacher like that. But that is another story.)
This year as I teach 8th grade, I am trying to remember how Miss Cowart (now Mrs. Reynolds) made me feel as an 8th grader. I even decided to put up paintings by Monet (something she did in her classroom; it was the first time I had ever heard of him) and other artists in my classroom in lieu of typical wall coverings. My principal keeps talking about relationships as one of the things that we are focusing on this year, and I wonder if I could build such relationships with my 6th graders. Don't get me wrong; clearly I have in the past because when I see former students in the hall, we exchange hellos and even hugs. But I kind of feel like for the past two years that I haven't been able to be myself. Hopefully, now that I am at the other end of the spectrum, I will be able to reconnect and impact my students the way Miss Cowart did me. It wasn't necessarily that she was my friend; it was that she challenged me. And challenging my students is what I aspire to everyday.
Only time will tell . . .
That was the year that I met Marnie Cowart. She was my 8th grade English teacher, and we were her first class. During the course of the year, she became engaged (in front of my class) and got married. She also fell victim to the common and unfortunate cattiness of middle school girls who were used to getting their way and were determined to get her fired because she, Miss Cowart, did let them do what they wanted. I'm not sure why we connected, but we did. And because of her, I realized that even though teaching wasn't the coolest profession, it was what I was destined to do. (This was not entirely clear though until I had a teacher who was the polar opposite in high school. That teacher inspired me to become a teacher because I never wanted a student to have a teacher like that. But that is another story.)
This year as I teach 8th grade, I am trying to remember how Miss Cowart (now Mrs. Reynolds) made me feel as an 8th grader. I even decided to put up paintings by Monet (something she did in her classroom; it was the first time I had ever heard of him) and other artists in my classroom in lieu of typical wall coverings. My principal keeps talking about relationships as one of the things that we are focusing on this year, and I wonder if I could build such relationships with my 6th graders. Don't get me wrong; clearly I have in the past because when I see former students in the hall, we exchange hellos and even hugs. But I kind of feel like for the past two years that I haven't been able to be myself. Hopefully, now that I am at the other end of the spectrum, I will be able to reconnect and impact my students the way Miss Cowart did me. It wasn't necessarily that she was my friend; it was that she challenged me. And challenging my students is what I aspire to everyday.
Only time will tell . . .
posted by eromler at
9:16 PM
1 Comments:
I can definitely see you as the kind of teacher who challenges and inspires. You challenge me to give my best in writing, in teaching, and in staying organized.
By
Donna Sewell, at 10:35 PM
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