This school year has started. It’s just, well, started. No fanfare. No “holy sh*t” moments. It’s just started.

#thatisgoodright

Yes, it is good.

I’m all for big “WELCOME BACK” kinds of celebrations. But, in Year 30, I’ve also grown to appreciate just showing up and doing the work.

We have a new math curriculum this year, that quite frankly, is kicking our butts. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very similar to a curriculum I taught many years ago where students discover more and work through more number sense, but dang, it’s tough.

And this being Year 1, it’s even more difficult because we don’t know where the problems might arise. Last year, also Year 1, the math was much more computation-based. An easier curriculum to teach from, but students don’t get the number sense needed to problem solve through more difficult problems. This math will give them that sense, which I love, but there are different holes we have to work through right now. That first year back in Iowa was very similar, a lot of number sense, but a ridiculous amount of work to teach it.

This year, our issue is scheduling. It’s always the schedule. You’d think that districts could come up with a “workable” schedule, but alas no, it’s almost always different and almost always disliked.

Last year, we had 90 minutes for math and literacy. Dang, we got stuff done. We’d have a large group lesson, followed by 15 to 20 minutes of rotating small groups. It was time where we could really dig into literacy and math subjects, along with talking about and demonstrating what good writing looks like.

That’s gone. We now have 60 minutes of each and have lost that time for small groups.

#yuck

We do have an intervention time after math, but right now, we are using most of it to complete our math lesson, which is taking way too long! Now, a couple of years into the future, I can see that math intervention time used for that purpose, but then again, our schedule always changes!

#adogchasinghistail

Exactly! So I’m keeping the faith. I’m combing the schedule looking for time for small groups and I’m working on keep the team focused on the task at hand. And I say this all with a grain of salt. Our team is amazing, and we don’t dwell on the things we cannot change. Between the three of us, we are keeping the faith daily that something can change and will help us do better with all the things we know can help our students.

In the end, that’s all that matters. Schedules can be terrible. Teachers and their attitudes can get in the way. You can easily lose faith in your “why” (I just threw up a little bit in my mouth). By keeping that faith that things can work out, it’s easier to spot the good things around your and your classroom.

Teaching is hard enough the way it is without dwelling on those things you cannot change. By finding that little piece of positivity, whatever that may be, it can help your overall attitude and mood.

Keeping the faith. It means different things to different people. For me, it means that you need to keep looking for the bright side of things, even when there’s not much to find. It’s never been easy, but it’s what I do. This job requires it or it will eat you alive. That’s why I’ve last 30 years (so far) and while I’ll keep going. I love what I do and I do what I love.

I’ll keep on keeping the faith! 🙂