This week was unusually long for some reason. There were a lot of meetings and stressors that seemed to build on top of one another. Yet, at the end of it all, I feel like a lot was accomplished both at work and in myself.

In the classroom, I finally had the chance to develop some procedures that seem to be helping the lowest level students achieve academically. While they aren’t perfect, they do seem to give teachers enough of a boost to ensure that their students are learning something. By having the mainstream teachers focus on one language goal per class, and having that goal focus on the state standards instead of the curriculum, they are ensuring that their students are successful.

My plan for the students who are on monitor only status is working well. I was able to check in with each student and discuss their successes and challenges in the classroom. We discussed strategies for getting back on track with missing work, self-advocacy, and how to build on their accomplishments. The schedule allows me to see them every two weeks and rotate through students who need 1-1 help or personalized services.

My observation went extremely well in no short part due to my co-teacher. We have a great working relationship and the lesson went so well that my AP was ecstatic when she left knowing that that was a possibility. I am currently trying to work that level of service into my other two co-teaching partnerships.

This week I have also put myself out there by volunteering for the position of building union representative. Whether or not I take on this role is out of my hands, but the fact that I didn’t shy away from the self-doubt and imposter syndrome makes me feel like I’m doing things right. I am challenging myself to take on those feelings with confidence in small and large ways.

I was going to write about one of my biggest failures of the month here; however, after writing it, I decided that it totally needed its own post due to the far-reaching implications it will have on how I treat similar events in the future and how I advocate for students and people in general. But to sum it up, a decision I made left potential bias and prejudice unchecked to roam free another day. But again, I feel that this topic needs its own post.