I loved today! After three weeks full of organizing and reorganizing, scheduling and rescheduling, I finally got to start seeing my students.
Each group started out the session by picking their choice of colored paper (either red, orange, green, or yellow). Once they picked the paper, I had them trace their hands (or I traced their hands for them).
We put the hands to the side and I brought out my container of markers or crayons, depending on the age group. I instructed them to pick one, two, or three markers, but no less than one and no more than three (I have to pause for a second to say a BIG thank you to my sister who gave me this idea on my way to work this morning, except I changed it from blocks to markers/crayons... so Thanks, Megs!!!). On my dry erase board, I wrote a list of topics they could chose from to talk about. The number of markers they had in their hands dictated the number of things they had to tell me about themselves. This was a great way to get the students talking and to get them to interact and ask each other questions.
After we heard from each student, we went back to working on the "leaves" for my tree. They wrote their names on their "hand" and then we talked about what they worked on in speech the previous year. Most of the students know what they worked on but if they didn't, we talked about what we would be working on in the next year. I wrote each student's goals on the "fingers" and then had them color/decorate their "leaf" any way they wanted. While they did that, I explained my classroom rules to them and talked to them about the homework folders they would be getting (we'll talk about those some other time). We cut out their hands at the end and started hanging them up on my tree! Once I get them all up (by the end of next week), I'll take a picture for everyone to see!
This brings me to the title of this entry. On my dry erase board, I also had written my name: Ms. Wagner. Plain and clear. It's not a hard name; at least not for my students who can actually produce the /r/ sound (which isn't that many actually!). Some of the students know my name, some of them have no clue. Others just make up their own. One of the students that I have in from the life skills class has been calling me a "speech" since he met me two weeks ago. He's a little boy who has down syndrome and I think it is the cutest thing, ever. He will see me in the halls and say "Hi, Speech". I love it. And then there's the fourth grader who I finished my day with today. I asked him if he remembered my name (because I had spent some time with him before) and he says "yeah, it's Ms. Wagner, but I'm going to call you Captain Wagner!" We proceeded with the rest of the session and I was called "Captain Wagner" each and every time he referred to me. Would it be out of line to have all my students refer to me as either "Captain Wagner" or "Speech"?
Now let me pause to say I was a little concerned how I would fair with the 4th and 5th graders. I wasn't too concerned with K-3 because I've had a lot of experience with younger kids and my nephew is in 3rd grade so that helps me to relate to those students. I am pretty sure the 4th and 5th graders are going to be my favorite to work with! I almost forgot what it's like to have students who actually know what they are working on, remember to come to speech on their own, and I can have conversations with!
Anyway, Day 1 went pretty smoothly if I can say so myself. With each and every day I love my job, and my life, a little more. God has truly blessed me with some amazing things these past two months. He has shown me that faith and trust in Him and belief in myself was the only way that I was going to achieve my dreams. When I finally let go and let God handle things, it was like the path was outlined in gold and there was no way I could possibly be misguided. Faith, Trust, Belief. Three lessons I have learned and three words I will never take for granted.
Believe in yourself and in what you can do.
Believe in the goals that you strive to pursue.
Believe in the friends who believe in you, too...
Forever and always,
BELIEVE.
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