What Scared Me

A teaching blog posed an interesting question in the spirit of Halloween:

As a new teacher, what scared you most?

My response:

"I’ll give it a name:  stagnaphobia.  As a newly minted teacher, I had the very vexing fear that my teaching would be stagnant and stilted.  Then I was launched, no, hurled, into the world of a second grader.  Teaching second grade is like permanently moving to a strange planet.  Life on my planet is fast-paced, sometimes messy, but never boring.   Problems exist but are solved creatively and democratically.  These second graders are kind to have me along for the ride.  They have the talent of wearing many hats.  They are scientists, not just in name.  They are actors.  They are bloggers.  They are word sleuths and they are debaters.  They are sometimes real estate agents who try to sell haunted houses with persuasive writing and abundant charm.  Above all, they are excited and passionate learners.

They are the smallest project managers that I have ever met.

Second graders might sometimes steal my sanity, but they give me more in return.  They give me a true will and desire to teach.  They give me a reason to push myself as an educator.  They give me a reason for life inside the classroom and out to never fall stagnant."

(This blogging thing is addictive... I cannot promise 3 entries per day every day, but I've got some enthusiastic students on my hands, eager to see their work featured.  We will enthusiastically press on!)

If you were running for president, what would you change?  Who would you try to help?  Some very insightful ideas in the Writing Lab.