in which the students become the teachers

Sometimes, I get tired of hearing myself talk. I grow weary of warning students to stay seated. I'm especially over the whole I'm-saying-this-for-the-tenth-time-because-you-weren't-listening-the-previous-nine charade. And I really, really, hate when I waste time quieting kids down instead of accomplishing my lesson objectives.

So I told Grade 8 that I was done being the teacher for a little while. I told them they would be stepping up. One of my more talkative students shot his hand straight up and shouted, "I'll help you teach first!" Okay, step 1 accomplished: Get them excited.

Our selection for the day included 6 poems from authors of different backgrounds (mostly something hyphenated American), all surrounding the theme of dreams. This group of students is especially imaginative, and I hoped they'd attach to the theme since they all have high aspirations in life.

They paired off, picked a poem, and read their poem for meaning. While they discussed, I wrote a smattering of poetic devices on the board, which they were shocked to discover they had learned throughout the course of the year together. For those who aren't poetry junkies like me, poetic devices include things like metaphor, simile, imagery, onomatopoeia, allusion, alliteration, symbolism, theme, mood, tone, rhyme scheme, etc. Step 2 accomplished: Give them the tools for success.

The students worked together to find examples of the above literary terms present in their poems, then presented their ideas to the rest of the class. I sat in a desk in the back with the rest of the students and listened. Step 3 accomplished: Give them the power to express ideas.

To be fair, the poems were not very straightforward. Although it may have been frustrating for them, I piggybacked on their presentation of basic concepts with some insights of my own (or some insights from the Teacher's Edition...hehe). The students listened--for the most part--and when they didn't, the presenters were free to wait for the others' attention. Step 4 accomplished: Give them the freedom to demand respect.

I tried this method not entirely because I'm tired of always being the teacher, but also because I completed my self-evaluation this week, and allowing students to present their own work is something I fell short in. Today's teaching tactic was just a step in empowering my kids towards self-confidence. Because that's the bigger lesson here. I'm not primarily a Literature teacher. I'm a teacher of confidence, of esteem, of dignity, of respect. If my kids learn those life lessons, something tells me everything else will fall into place.

But learning to identify personification and imagery never hurt anyone, either.

Gonna Be a Bright, Bright, Sunshiny Day

The week has finished. I'm still standing. It's a miracle.

Accomplished:
Wrote 3 tests and corresponding review sheets
Conducted 3 review sessions
Proctored 3 tests
Dragged myself Spanish Club
Completely winged it...excelente
Avoided minor disaster on playground monkey bars
Planned a Poetry Cafe
Rehearsed for Poetry Cafe
Decorated for Poetry Cafe
Emcee'd Poetry Cafe
Cleaned up Poetry Cafe
Survived Friday

Thursday was probably the longest day of work ever (7:00am-8:30pm) but one of the most fulfilling, too.

Thursday morning I worked with my ESL students. We laughed together while playing word games. They finally trust each other. It's been an issue since January, when we added a pair of Portuguese-and-Russian-speaking brothers to our group. On Thursday, they translated for each other, Spanish to Portuguese to English and back again. Victor has found enough confidence to speak up, even though he still forgets to say "and" in English. Philip turned 14. Gabriel's favorite subject is now English Grammar. And sweet-spirited Issel tells me every day that I'm her favorite teacher, even though it sounds a lot like I'm her favorite t-shirt.

The rest of the day was devoted to Poetry Cafe-related preparation. The actual event started at 7 pm, in the dusky heat.
Can I describe for you the beauty of 30 students in Grades 6-12 finding not only their inner source of poetic expression but also the guts to stand up in front of 100 people and share that poem? How about the determination of an additional 30 student servers, bringing tea, coffee, and snacks to 100 guests?
Which is to speak nothing of the students who worked behind the scenes, listening patiently and giving constructive feedback to poets, writing menus, designing posters, lighting candles, preparing server badges. I literally burst with pride for my students...no for real, the seam on the sleeve of my dress split when I bent to pick up something!

Our Poetry Cafe was so beautiful. It didn't have the white tablecloths, tea lights, and paper lanterns that I pictured, but it was beautiful in its own way...checked tablecloths, plastic chairs, and powdered cappuccino mixes notwithstanding.
I'm not usually good at delegating to my students, but they totally took ownership and the result was fantastic. It was truly their night. I still put in a ton of work, but it was so worth it to see them shine.

I feel like I've been unintentionally depriving myself of good days, like I'm allowing my stay/go decision to hang a black cloud over my head. Thursday blew that cloud away. It was like God whispered, "For one day, forget the decision. Go ahead, remember why you love living here. And be thankful." And I was. For the day itself, for my students who surprise and amaze me, for this place that brings me joy.