Reality Check

As of 3:10pm Friday, my Christmas break began. That last week of school before the break was interesting; I know the students were as excited as I was for the 2 week siesta which showed in their behavior.

I had a little reality check the week before last thanks to one of my first grade students. Let me first say I admit to making empty statements like, "Maybe you can finish it next week" or "We should have time"; I say this toward the end of class when students become concerned that they haven't gotten everything done for two reasons: 1. to get them out the door before the next group comes in and 2. because art is a process, not a product (hard to explain to kids). Their project this week was in relation to their book of the month which required them to do a little bit of drawing and a little writing to go with it. It is normal that the students do not complete the projects because we only have 40 minutes together. It is also normal for one of the first graders, we'll call her "V", to be stubborn about stopping when it is time to go.

The end of the period approached, so I had them finish what they could and line-up. As usual, everyone but V did so. She kept refusing to line up or to stop working as their teacher came to pick them up. After the other students left, I approached her to ask what was the matter; she was being particularly stubborn. With tears welling up, V explained that she never got to finish any of her work. I told her she was more than welcome to take it home and finish there. Getting more frustrated with more tears, she looked at me and said, "I can't do it at home. No one will help me. My parents work all the time at night and they promise to help me with things but they never do." Taken aback by her blunt honesty, I apologized and with some coaxing, she agreed to let me help her complete the writing part right then and there. She also told me that someone had stolen her crayons from her desk and wanted to be able to color the drawing. By the end of the day, I dropped off a box of crayons for her to take home.

Lord knows how many other students are in the same predicament as V: little or no attention at home. I would bet that the majority of students have that issue which, needless to say, saddens me. I wish that I could give more individual attention to my kids, and I am going to try harder to do so. I also now realize the impact that my empty promises/statements can have, and I need to be more sensitive to their needs. This job is so flippin' hard. I want to be able to save everyone....naive, I know.

Anyways, I am looking forward to the time off and I am hoping and praying that I can make it through the spring semester. I am eager to see my family, immediate and extended.