The Struggle

If I sat here and told you that this has been a challenging week in teaching, I would be lying to you. It has been one of the most challenging weeks of my life.

My personal life has been turned upside down in many ways, and it has been very hard to keep my personal issues from entering the classroom. This has been a daily struggle for me. But we're not here to discuss my personal problems. We're here to discuss my professional life, and it's been turned upside down as well.

Last week was my first week to be the official, full-time teacher in my 9th grade class. Let's just say that this class is going to break me in very quickly.

There are 22 students in this class, and about 75 percent of them have behavior issues and are known for giving teachers a hard time. Don't get me wrong.The students are great to be around. Of the 22, there are only two of them with attitude problems. The problem with this class is their talking. They want to talk about anything and everything, and most things do not pertain to our lesson. I've been faced with classes similar to this one, so what's so challenging about this class?

These students are incredibly behind. They are on a 5th to 6th grade level as far as grammar and writing are concerned, and over half of the class is failing. I have only a couple of students in this class that are truly motivated to get things done, and a combination of all these things, plus students' behavior, have made for a very interesting and exhausting week.

I'm a student myself, and on top of my teaching, I have to attend class and stay on top of MY homework. How can I motivate an entire class, bring students' grades up, and force students to behave properly in the classroom? Is it possible?

I believe it is. I believe I can motivate every one of my students. I believe I can teach them what they need to know. I believe I can get my students to behave, and I believe I can do it all on top of my school work. Everyday will be a challenge, and I'm still not exactly sure what it will take. But it can be done. After all, that's what teachers do.