Thinking back on my year, there were many successes in my classroom. Some of these were as small as getting my students to raise their hands rather than get out of their seats when they needed help. (That is a big one in many ways!). When I would hear my students say to each other, "A gentleman does not shove others." or "That is not the way a lady sits in a skirt." I was proud. Sometimes I suppose they must think that I'm an old woman with old-fashioned ideas. (I am in my 40's!! Ha). But I decided that if anyone thinks that, then so be it. Good manners are important no matter what age you are or in what time you reside.
Other successes had to do with a student spending a little extra time to figure out a math problem or learning to use process of elimination on a spelling worksheet. My students learned to look up words in a dictionary and use those words in a complete and meaningful sentence. They can do two and three digit addition and subtraction by drawing a picture or setting up the algorithum. Mrs. Hayden's students can now write an opinion essay and locate the text features on any page. These same students are able to tie their shoes. - Yes, students come to second grade unable to tie their own shoes!
While working on student's permanent files for the past two weeks. I noticed some things. First of all, they have grown in their writing content enormously as well as in mechanics. The performance tasks that my second graders completed this year were exponentially harder than the ones they did in the first grade. Still, my students were able to not only complete them, but to complete them successfully without help from me.
Our test scores came in three days ago -two days before school was out. Ours scores come with long stickers that are about two inches by twelve and a half inches. I try not to pay too close attention to test scores. We all know that every student, like every person, is multi-faceted. A test score is only one aspect of how my students grew in the second grade.
I was fitting the twelve and a half inch sticker onto the back of the eleven inch permanent record cards and trying to line them up perfectly with the first grade stickers. I inadvertently began noticing the differences in the numbers. The numbers seemed to be higher in every category on comparison to the numbers on the first grade stickers. With every sticker that I lined up with the previous sticker, there was a marked difference. Of course, this intrigued me. After I finished sticking in all of my class scores, I went back through each one.
I was floored when I discovered that every single one of my sweet students had improved test scores in every area. One student had a more than a forty point improvement in both his mathematics composite score and his composite score in language arts!
I feel, like most educators, that one test is not what is the most important and is not indicitive of all that a student learns in a school year. All of the untestable things mean much more in the overall scheme of the school year. But, I can't help but say that it felt great to see those test scores! I felt validated and vindicated. I am a teacher of life-skills and kindness and compassion and all of the other things that every person needs. But, I can do those things and still please my school, my district and my state by achieving the all important test scores! I did it, and so can you!
I am
Cordially yours,
Jan’etta
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