Stepping onto a Mission Field

The bell rings at 7:45 and off the soldiers go. Dragging along to their first mission of the day. Where they will gain valuable knowledge for the years to come, even if they don’t believe that. I stand a few feet away reminding them that they are to be quick in getting where they need to go, that no one will wait for them because we have a ton to do.

Suddenly there is a soldier struggling. Pulling, yanking, trying to overcome their problem, but it’s just not happening. They strain and try, try, and try again. She turns to look at me with pleading eyes. I step forward to help her. I listen to the problem, try to remedy the situation only to be in the same predicament. The late bell rings and I walk the soldier to her mission field and tell the leader about her problem. They nod in understanding. As I leave, the soldier tells me a new piece of information. I take hold of it with hope and go back to the problem. Thanks to that change of information I am able fix the problem immediately, and the soldier has everything they need to be successful for their first mission of the day. That mission was called math class.

I’m now a teacher, and the scene described above happened this past Thursday morning as a student tried to open her locker. Thankfully I was there to help her out. I wasn’t trying to be something extraordinary for that student, I was simply trying to make sure she got what she needed for the day, and in the scope of all things that’s what teaching is. We are handing our students skills to help them in the future. It can be social skills, reading skills, inferencing skills, etc. However, it takes time for those skills to develop.
Our students showered their teachers with pears. :) The 6th
grade team (with one person missing). 

Right now I should have finished my first month of being a first year teacher, however Hurricane Harvey hit and interrupted that. So, as I am writing this I’ve only been teaching for a total of two weeks. Those 14 days have been a series of ups and downs, frustrations and triumphs, and times I’ve questioned my choice. Teaching is HARD. Yes, I know so many people warned me in my application process. Yes, my boss even questioned me in making sure I knew what I would be getting myself into (but does anyone really know for sure?). Even with all the prep I went through with advice from teachers, training, observation, and more, nothing could have prepared me for my own classroom.

I am a 6th grade reading intervention teacher along with the High School English EOC (those that didn’t pass the STAAR) teacher. Originally when I applied, and received the job, I was told I would be the reading intervention teacher. Then once I reached my campus about a week before classes started up I found out about the High School part. Was I a happy camper? No, not at all. Yet, I have to remind myself that it happened for a reason. There is a reason I have another group of students that I hadn’t planned on. God knows the outcome of this situation. I don’t, but I really wish I did.

Sadly, I don’t have pictures of my classroom to share with you because I have 6 different classrooms. I shuttle between 6 different rooms on a cart. I don’t like the situation I am in with the whole cart thing, but I can’t do much about it because we have about 70-80 teachers, 850 students, and a small two story space to work with. All of our teachers have to share rooms, but the intervention teachers are the main ones that have to switch throughout the day. To answer the most common question “Aren’t you late for your classes by doing that?” Yes, Yes I am, but my students know, and they wait patiently, especially my 5th period class.

Some fun facts before I close out.
~I only have a total of 72 6th graders and 18 high schoolers.
~My high schoolers range from 10th grade to 12th grade.
~Our 6th graders have recess once a week.
~I’m really glad I have junior high
~Every time I hear Ms. Mason I just smile. :) 


My job is hard, but I’m just taking it one day at a time. I’m grateful for this job, and all that I’m learning and will continue to learn. God drew me to YES for a reason. It may be awhile till I see why, but until then I will Press On.

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