New Week, New Experiences

This week mentoring was definitely a 10/10! I think I finally have the class routine down now when I’m there. Mrs. Zawisza told me that I was a natural and that the kids love me and asks about me when I’m not there! It was a very good feeling to be told that and I’m glad I am influencing and making an impact on the kids! I was so nervous the first two weeks but I’m starting to feel more and more comfortable! Comfortable enough to read them a book? Heck NO! But definitely one day, as this will be one of my top five goals for this mentorship experience!

I got to test the children on their sight words again for I believe the last time as this was their final word assessment! I feel proud that I was the one to give them this final test and it went great with no flaws! I like that I got to encourage the kids to keep trying on a certain word I knew was on the tip of their tongue, and to tell them that it was okay if a word was too hard for them and that it was just something we would have to practice! Mrs. Zawisza explained to still make it positive even if they got a word wrong so they wouldn’t take it so badly, which I completely understand! So, I think I executed this very well! On Tuesday, I got to see the children work on zoo maps they were making and eventually they painted them the next day when I was not there, but I did eventually get to see them finished and WOW these kids are so talented! We also played math games in their math groups which is always fun to experience because it is great to see the children have so much fun while learning (something you don’t see much high school). I also worked individually with a couple of girls on our weekly Problem Solving Friday with their math problem of the day. It was very fun and the girls had me cracking up with some of the things they would say or do! They are so so smart though!

On a serious note, an unfortunate situation happened on Friday when I went to J.W. When I was walking over, there was an ambulance, fire truck, and sheriff car out front which left a bad feeling in my stomach. I stayed calm though and entered the school as normal heading straight for my classroom. Mrs. Zawisza was already there and explained to me that the accident was with one of her students! The student had fallen asleep and could not be woken up at all! It had happened earlier in the week but the student was able to be woken…this time not so much. The ambulance woke him up and got them stable but they still took the student away with their parents. The other kids were at their special so it was a good thing they couldn’t see how upset Mrs. Zawisza was about it. She had teared up, but I could tell she was trying to stay strong since the kids would be back soon. It was an emotional moment and, honestly, very eye-opening. I was also upset about one of the students (they feel like my students now too!) that I’ve gotten to enjoy this mentorship with having a problem, but it was way worse for Mrs. Zawisza. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this side of a teacher. I only ever saw them being the strong ones. So, I was really glad I got to be there for her. She told me how these kids were like her own, so she hates seeing any of them hurt! I could see the love for them in her eyes and it really showed me how emotionally involved teachers can get with their students even if they don’t show it like our parents do. It also showed me my future, if I was the teacher and these were my students. Moreover, before the kids came in she said it was time to put her smile on and read them a Valentine’s Day book, acting as if everything was perfectly fine. I really see Mrs. Zawisza in a new and better light because of this. She really cares about these kids and it is so touching.

This all happened the first ten minutes I was there, but it felt like forever and it was an emotional ten minutes. The rest of the day was very positive though as well as my overall week! I hope my student will be okay and can’t wait to hear about their progress next week!