Right now, I am standing in my classroom, brought to tears at the very apparent reality that I will have students in less than 48 hours. I will be inclusion/co-teaching in 4 classes of math and science (about 100 students) and then I get to have one very special class of 4 students in my 7th grade English resource class. As I start to decorate their room and add those special touches that I hope will make them feel loved and celebrated, I am overwhelmed by the fact that these are 4 students who have been overlooked and passed by fro so many years. These are the students who have never been able to understand the material in a way that makes sense to them the same way it does to the majority of their peers. I have been reading over their IEPs and falling in love with them before I even meet them. I do not see these students as ones who are hopeless or stupid or not worth my time. I do not think that it is a waste of space or time to fully decorate and plan for 1 class with only 4 students. These students are worth celebrating. They are deserving of the very best, of much more than I will ever be able to give them. I hope and I pray that this classroom will be a safe place for them, one where they feel free to try new things, make mistakes, and share their thoughts and opinions. I pray that this year makes all the difference. I pray that these students would fall in love with learning. I pray. and I hope. and I work.
I hope to post pics of my finished classroom and expand more on the reality of this life right now. But now, I go back to work.
praying for decorating inspirations,
Emily
