I wonder how many more of these I will write? It could be this series comes soon enough to an end. After all, my last day in the classroom with students is June 6th. That Saturday I will be at Netroots Nation, although since my panel on what Progressives Can Do to Save Public Education is the day before, I will certainly have something on which to reflect. Two weeks before that I will be at the 45th reunion of my original class at Haverford College, and might instead be reflecting on this. Thus pure ordinary classroom based reflections? There are two more Saturdays after this.
After all, I leave my classroom for good when I check on on Monday June 11. Already the process of moving towards that has begun. My instruction of new material has effectively already come to close - my AP students take their AP test on May 15, so now we are involved in review. For my two regular classes, we can explore other topics - for the past two days we watched a film on one of the most important pieces of legislation ever, the World War II era original GI Bill, which helped create the American middle class.
In one sense I offered a bit of my reflection early last night, when I posted As a teacher, I want to thank Charles M. Blow in response to reading his Saturday column in praise of teachers.
But never fear, I still have some more thoughts to share.
In about 45 minutes or less I will be in my car heading for school. I am helping administer the SAT again, and will also do so on June 2. As teachers we often try to pick up additional revenue, and this is at least educationally related. Many of the those in my room will be students I know, some of whom I have taught, which means I have given them some tips on taking an SAT. Before I begin reading the instructions, I am likely to try to get them to relax with a few jokes, and make a few additional reminders, including about how to guess, especially given how the penalty for incorrect answers work - if students can eliminate one answer they should guess and move on.
Since I am in the building, at the end of the test I will probably stop by my classroom for a few minutes and continue to pack.
What, say you, with a month to go you are already packing? The answer is YEP. I have tons of stuff, including several hundred books from my late uncle's home and classroom - he was a career teacher in NYC. When he died, his daughter (my cousin) and her husband rented a trailer and brought almost thousand books up to my classroom (in those days in an outside temporary). I went through and selected about 200 I wanted to keep, then let other faculty take what they wanted. There were about 200 that were simply too old or worn or of no value that we disposed of.
I have to recull, because I simply will not have room.
I have the accumulations of 17 years of teaching, including student projects from previous years.
I have clippings which go on my walls.
I had plaques, and letters of commendation, and pictures and other personal memorabilia.
As I go through them, as I did with the last category yesterday, before packing those up and bringing a box home, it experience a rush of memories, as I also do when I handle projects from previous years.
This process of packing is different. I have three times left a school, but each time to move to another school and continue teaching. Twice I moved rooms within a school, but that was a simple process. Each of the other 11 years when it came to end all I was doing was securing things for the summer - easy to do with a large locked cabinet, a large chained map table cabinet on wheels, and being a short distance from a room where i could store some personal things that could not be secured in my classroom. This year, packing without knowing what I am doing next year reminds me that my teaching career COULD be coming to a close (although it is possible that by this time next week I will have been offered a teaching position for the fall).
I look at the amount of personal possessions in my classroom. Almost all of us who teach, if we have our own classrooms (some float from room to room, as I did when I student taught) bring in things to personalize our space. My items include poster boards with letters and columns I have had printed in newspapers, some of the letters and proclamations I got when I won my teaching award from the Washington Post, a picture of me with the Congressman who represents our school (Steny Hoyer) taken at a luncheon where he was honoring award-winning teachers and principals from within the district.
But we also bring in things that reinforce what we are trying to communicate to our students. We have posters we have collected (usually by purchasing with our own funds) that support particular topics. I also often clipped things from newspapers and magazines, or occasionally printed out online material to post in the classroom. Keeping projects and papers from previous students to illustrate how to approach certain tasks has been helpful to my students, and provided some continuity in my teaching, although I long ago gave back some of the best, because any student can request her work when she leaves the school or I move on - some of this year's seniors will definitely be stopping by to reclaim projects. So will some of this year's juniors, and i will hold far fewer from my current students. After all, my basement is already overflowing with things from previous years. I taught middle school American History for four years, and a lot of material specific to those ages is in boxes stacked next to my furnace.
I will also go through two file cabinets full of folders - originals of handouts, class sets of some things. Some should probably have gone some time ago, because they are too dated. Others? I did not know if I would teach World History or Comparative Religion or Social Issues again, so those drawers remain full.
The reality of my teaching at Eleanor Roosevelt coming to an end - I have some of the seniors who know I am leaving asking if I know what I will do next? They hope they will hear before they graduate on May 29, which may be the last time I see many. Their last day in the building, except for AP exams, is less than two weeks away. Those who want to know how to stay in contact, and I am willing to 'friend' once they are out of my classroom. Some of the juniors are already asking for letters of recommendation for college and scholarships.
Farewell events are another reminder of the imminent close of this portion of my life. On Tuesday two good friends are going to have a get-together in our local Mexican restaurant, with 20% of the proceeds coming back to the school. No speeches, just companionship and conviviality. Since it is outside of school hours, there will be plenty of margaritas!.
On May 30th my department is having a reception for me during the 2nd half of the school day. My classes will be covered, and people can stop by and chat. What really brings that home is reaching out to people and inviting them to come. Some have other commitments - it is during the work day. But two former principals are coming, as are several parents. That's so far.
There will be no speeches. Just conversation, and perhaps my receiving a fair amount of ribbing. So be it. My department was fairly insistent they wanted to do it.
I also have another task - to sit down with the two teachers who will split duties for AP Government next year, and provide materials and some guidance. That will be soon enough, probably during the week of finals.
My students have final projects and takehome final essay exams. The four seniors do not need to do the project, and their exams are due next Friday. For the rest, the projects are due June 1, with the tests due June 4 although I would like them sooner if possible (one has already been turned in). I will be proctoring an SAT on June 2, and the rest of that weekend going through projects and tests for perhaps the last time? All my grades will be in before I leave for Netroots Nation the afternoon of June 6.
A Saturday morning reflection. Recognizing that what has defined my life for almost 17 years could well be coming to an end.
Whatever I do, it will require me to function in some way as a teacher, but I might not have a formal classroom.
I will be leaving the building that has been my professional home for 13 of the past 14 years.
How cannot I not reflect?
After all, I am a far better person, certainly far more thoughtful, for the experience of working with young people to help them make sense of the world.
And now? Time to get dressed and head off to SAT land.
Thanks for reading.
And have a wonderful weekend.
Peace.