This semester was very inconsistent for me. I started off as a 4th grade intervention teacher helping students who were struggling in math and reading. As much as we always like to talk about progress, we also have to recognize that there will be regress. We must know what to do in those situations as well. The fourth grade at my school was struggling terribly as a whole. If we were to have taken all the failing students and put them in one classroom, the total would have been the size of a regular class. From there, I was reassigned into a classroom that had major behavior difficulties. Students who normally did not struggle were struggling because of the behavior problems in the classroom. When I entered that class, 20 students had failing grades for the 3rd quarter. There were 25 students. It was a struggle. But, I am happy to say that as of today, that number dwindled drastically to just 9 students. It was work. It was hard but, I was amazed that after a behavior plan was put in place, students' grades slowly started to rise. It showed me how important behavior management really is. It can make a "D" student a "B" student.
Looking Forward:
Seeing, kind of, the worst of the worst situations, I have decided to make a goal for my classroom next year. 40% of this 4th grade class will fail this year. Not good. I wish I would have had the opportunity to move in sooner to assist these students and the teacher. But with that in mind, I have made a goal for next year's class. Here it is:
Quarter 1: No more than 5 E's.
Quarter 2: No more than 5 E's.
Quarter 3: No more than 7 E's.
Quarter 4: No more than 5 E's.
Seems as though 3rd quarter is the toughest for 4th grade. I think having this goal will help me closely monitor progress and regress. Would I love to have a class with NO failing grades? Why absolutely. That should be every teacher's dream. But, that's not reality. Granted, this next class won't be the size of the last one but, having goals is what I'm about. Sitting here typing this out also helps because now I feel accountable. And if students go over my goal I will know that there's something I need to do differently and I need to find more assistance for those students to get below my goal. Expectations. I want students to succeed so that they enjoy school and learning. So! We shall see! Hold me to it!
