Abbie Not Abigail

Let's just be honest here. Going into my third year teaching inner city, hormonal pre-teens was not my ideal career choice. I've wrestled with this job already for 2 years, and signing up to do it again this year was tough.

Some days are hard...really hard. It challenges my patience every. single. day. Breaking up fist fights. Being cussed out on the telephone by disgruntled parents. Calling CPS. Constant sore throats from yelling over students. One step forward, two steps back. Defeated. Exhausted. Feeling hopeless.

A year ago, after finishing my first year of teaching, I wrote a post to my first year self. After one year, I thought I'd remember to continue to keep persepective of my kids stories. These precious lives that, at times, have unthinkable home lives.

And yet, I easily forget what my students are coming from as they walk through my door every morning.

Last year, my Facebook newsfeed blew up with this article about a teacher in Denver who had her students finish the sentence, "I wish my teacher knew..." on a sticky note. This randomly came to my mind this past week as I was thinking about my students and how to connect with them.

So I thought I'd give it a try. Every morning we do a "morning meeting" and talk about what we can improve on from the day before, and goals we have for the day ahead. I gave them each a half piece of lined paper and told them to start their sentences with
































A small glimpse into the students in my classroom, some being a bit more light hearted than others... but each student has a story.



In my students defense, I'm still a stranger. I'm still someone who needs to earn their trust. Being that we are weeks into starting this school year, I know that I am only beginning to scratch the surface of who my students are and what they are coming from. Again, it feels a little daunting to know we still have a ways to go, but gives me reason to wake up every day with a purpose.

My wish for my students this year is that they can see their own potential and understand how much they are loved and cared for.