My classroom windows are open (as much as they're able to be), sun streaming in for the first time in a week. In the hallway I hear the bustle of students, punctuated by noises that sound like babies' chirps, but are actually little hoots that mean "woohoo! last day of school!"
I have no students today, so I'm finishing up packing my classroom in order to move it upstairs to its new, smaller location. 55 boxes of equipment, software, books, etc., along with oodles of computers, chairs, tables, printers, and all kinds of other stuff. I've thrown out at least half of the software and books that were in the room (though I considered saving some of the COBOL books for historical interest, or at least for monitor stands). I kind of can't believe the year is over. I survived! Now I'm sitting back, thinking about what I've learned, and thinking of ways to make next year better. Teachers here tell me it takes 3-5 years to really get your program the way you want it. I'm trying to be patient.
I learned this year that I have no problem with classroom management. That was kind of a relief, given that there was no curriculum. If I'm breathing a sigh of relief that I survived, I'm sure my students are too. We really all got through it together. I learned to keep telling myself it was OK to fail: to make an assignment that just wasn't right, and to tell students that I wasn't really happy with something but it was the best I could do this year. I really have to hand it to my students--they took it well and mostly did their best.
I learned this year to suck up to the custodians, who are the ones with the real power in the school. I learned that they will do quite a lot for me if I pretend that I have no brain (makes me wonder about some of my students...). It kind of reminds me of when I was in high school, when perfectly capable girls would pretend to be stupid so boyz would like them. Yikes.
I learned this year that there's a fine line for students between comments that sound encouraging and comments that sound patronizing. I learned to be very specific in my praise. By the end of the year, there was a joke in class that "you're almost there". I guess I said that a lot...
I learned this year how important a good facilitator is when dealing with teachers. Teachers have so much autonomy in their classrooms that when they get together in an action team they're all used to being in charge. Our cluster (and the arts action team I'm on) has a fantastic facilitator who keeps us on track. He also happens to be one of the most gentle, inspiring teachers in the building.
I learned this year that I have a lot of ADD tendencies, probably counteracted by growing up on a farm (and learning to do lots of menial, repetitive tasks), and by studying the violin. I found out that many ADD people need to do art the way I need to play the violin, and it explained why I am so much happier when I can start my day with violin practice. Reading about ADD for my special ed. class made me understand why sitting in a cubicle programming all day was not a good fit for me, and why the relative wildness of schoolteaching is a good fit. I do miss the programming, but maybe the next time I go back to it I'll be able to make it suit me better. Or maybe I'll do more permaculture instead, which, as Dave once said, "is like hacking the world."
I told my students, "if you're bored this summer, come visit me at school. You can play with the robots." I'll be here creating curriculum and trying to make next year more interesting and fun, and planning how to make programming work for kids with ADD. With any luck, it will make next year go more smoothly.