Apparently, I’m going to the National Council of Teachers for Mathematics National Conference in April. I don’t know if you heard, but I’m kind of a big deal … . I hope to see some of you who are teachers there as well. I’ll be the sharply dressed dude listening to Malcolm Gladwell.

Today, I was supposed to have an observation, but it didn’t happen due to the 5th Grade ELA test, and I’m grateful in some ways. I felt I was rushing things a bit, and that’s a feeling I don’t like. I especially believe after this new (solar) year, I’ve made a concerted effort to see the classroom and actions through the kids’ eyes. I stayed in my classroom until 530pm making sure that, when the kids came in the morning, they had a more comfortable setting for themselves than what I felt I provided. I’m tired of the negative energy my homeroom class has, so maybe if I change the environment a bit, I’d get a little more positivity back.

Because, as much confidence as I have in my skills, I also have a weakness for the kids that often makes me lose sleep and become emotional and admittedly defensive for them. On the surface, I remain stern and critical of them, but I can’t help but love them even at their worst. I still show up to school 30 minutes before I should just to get a good lesson plan going. I follow my homeroom sometimes through their classes just to see how they’re doing in those classes, and I’ll even sit in. Most teachers like that because it gives them a sense that we’re all working together. Obviously, there’s a sense of trust there and I would never violate it. I just know that I’d do as much as I had to to make sure my kids got as far as they needed to in life.  Frankly, I can only hope to teach as much to them as I’ve learned from them.

Everyday, something new and different appears on my doorstep. So much oscillation, yet I take it in stride, hoping to learn something from these vast experiences.

jose, who still can’t believe he’s going to the home of the utah jazz …