After finishing my student teaching assignment, it was time to look for a fulltime teaching position. Of course, I felt as though I had a ton of experience after my three years of teaching special education. I suppose if I would have thought about it for too long, I might have been too scared to move on, but I wasn’t going to let myself stand in my way. I would deal with the double vision and disorientation as it came and hopefully I wouldn’t do anything too stupid or illegal.
I was hired to teach a 1st/2nd grade split at our local elementary school. I was hired the third week into the school year for this “newly created” position. The present six 1st/2nd grade teachers were told they could give me any three students they chose to make up my class of 18. Three weeks into the school year—you know what I got. After three weeks every teacher certainly knows who are going to be the biggest challenges, the kids with undiagnosed ADHD, ODD, LD, and the downright ornery. It was basically a special education class with academic expectations. But I loved it! I was excited to go to work every day and found myself energized by the challenges.
The first day of school, I stood in front of my new class trying to put on a strict front (easier to lighten up than tighten up later in the year).
“Okay, my number one rule is that everyone needs to have a silent reading book in their desk at ALL times. That way if you finish with your work early, you have something to read.”
Shanna, a little freckle-faced red-headed 1st grader raised her hand shyly.
“Shanna? Did you have a question?”
“But Mrs. Tuppew, I don’t know how to wead,” she said uncertainly.”
“Oh yeah,” I muttered, “I guess that’s my job to teach you, isn’t it?” I said just as uncertainly.
“Well, have a book with pictures then, I just don’t want anyone bothering anyone else when their work is done.”
Later, that first day, I administered a math test to assess where everyone was in the math workbook. Once again, Shanna raised her hand shyly during the test. I went to her and quietly asked, “What do you need, Shanna?”
She pointed at one of the questions referring to fact families. “I don’t know what a fact family is,” she said.
I looked at the question and realized I don’t know what a fact family is, either! I looked at the panic in Shanna’s pretty blue eyes.
“It’s okay,” I whispered to her, “I’m not counting that one anyway.” Relieved, she continued on with the test.
I decided to start the first grade math curriculum on the chapter before the fact family concept was presented for Shanna’s sake as well as my own.
Needless to say, my first year teaching regular education was a challenge. I loved my students, however, and I loved teaching. I especially enjoyed teaching the second graders. The first graders had so much they didn’t know!! It dawned on me daily that I had a huge task in teaching them how to read. I really hoped the curriculum knew what it was doing, because I followed it to a T since I had no clue how to expand on it. I counted on the other teachers a lot of guidance and direction.
At home, things were going well. We fell into our “new” routine with the kids continuing to go to Ray and Pam’s for childcare. I still dealt with double vision on a daily basis and Michael still wouldn’t let me take over the checkbook. For some reason, not being allowed to take care of the checkbook really bugged me and I would ask to have it back on a regular basis.
“Michael, do you want me to take over the checkbook now?” I asked one evening after I had been teaching for about a month.
“No, dear, I am taking care of it just fine” he answered.
“Have you been reconciling it every month?” I asked.
“Pretty much,” he answered.
“Do you know what a fact family is?”
“A what?”
“A fact family.” I tried to show how much I had advanced in the area of math. “Do you even know what a fact family is?
“No, I don’t know what a fact family is,” he said in a very huffy manner, “and you are NOT taking over the checkbook!”
“I can’t believe you don’t know what a fact family is,” I muttered in disgust as I got up to start dishes.
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