Let No One Steal Your Dreams

November 5, 2010

The other night I was sitting in my room, wondering why I was given such a terrible class as one of my first teaching experiences. As I reflected back on my day I remembered a poem I saw in the classroom as one of the school’s philosophies. I remembered the name of the poem and I looked it up and immediately I realized why I was sent to this school, even if it meant going through a day of hell. Here is the poem: Let No One Steal Your Dreams

Let no one steal your dreams
Let no one tear apart
The burning of ambition
That fires the drive inside your heart

Let no one steal your dreams
Let no one tell you that you can't
Let no one hold you back
let no one tell you that you won't

Set your sights and keep them fixed
Set your sights on high
Let no one steal your dreams
Your only limit is the sky.

Let no one steal your dreams
Follow your heart
Follow your soul
For only when you follow them
Will you feel truly whole

Set your sights and keep them fixed
Set your sights on high
Let no one steal your dreams
Your only limit is the sky
 

Written by Paul Cookson

After reading this poem I remembered I am following my dreams and one bad experience is not going to take me away from that. I decided to be more positive about my teaching situations and not focus on the bad but learn from it. Until….

The next morning I got a call saying I was going back to the same classroom. I couldn’t believe it. I honestly did not think I could do it all over again. Then I began thinking, this negative thinking is not getting me anywhere. So the whole bus/walk to school I decided to be positive about the day instead of immediately making it a bad day. Once at the school I was informed I was not in the same classroom, but instead a year 2 for the morning and a year 1 for the afternoon (a different year 1). (Btw, the grades over here are about one year higher than the grades back home so Year 1 is kindergarten and year 2 is first grade). I went to my year 2 classroom and it was actually a lot better. They were very chatty but no screaming! Plus I had three criers (2 b/c they wanted their mums and 1 b/c they didn’t feel good) But overall not a bad class. Then I went to year 1 who were also very chatty and a little bad, but I had a TA with me the whole time. I did get two little boys in trouble for stealing candy however, but they weren’t’ doing their work anyways.

After my day I remembered that just yesterday I was in a terrible classroom and then today it got so much better. I tried having a better outlook on the schools.

Today I got called to teach a reception class at a different school. I was very excited because I figured since Year 1 was difficult for me and nursery was a little too young for me, that reception (pre-k) would be great! And after being in two different receptions I confirmed that reception is my favorite grade over here. The children are 4 going on 5. They get direct instruction roughly 3-4 times a day for about 15 mins each. The rest of the time in play time and during play time you work with one or two children to accomplish a task. The rooms were connected so the children could play with the other children. And despite the fact that during the morning a girl literally had to be picked up and carried out of my classroom and during the afternoon two children were in time out for being rude and disrupting the class and me, I had a good day. I came home feeling like it went great and to me that means that this really is my class. ‘Cause even when things are bad, they’re good. This to me feels more like American kindergarten anyways and that is where I thrive at home.

Other than that, I have been beginning to pick up on some cooking skills….don’t laugh. I am trying! And so far I haven’t burnt anything down…although I am rarely left alone with any food. My friends and I have also started mini work outs in our rooms (to keep from looking like fools for the whole rest of the building). And last night my friend Rachel and I wrote down every place we wanted to go inside London, inside Great Britain, and inside Europe (a couple even outside of that). We spent a few hours ranking them from cost and writing down where they are located.

We are planning on going into London tomorrow for the premiere of Harry Potter 7 (wish us luck it is supposed to be crazy!!!) and also going sight-seeing on Saturday. We are thinking mainly the free ones for now, although there is the London Dungeon that we want to do in the next few weeks that looks really awesome.

Well, as time flies around here, it is almost time for me to settle down and get ready for bed. Working in these schools is pretty tiring and the weekend looks promising.

Until next time…..

~D~