Shaundalyn Elliott's Diary
The First 180 Days

Meeting Goals

Week 30

This past week, I had to work hard to motivate my students. After spring holidays, a week of SAT (Stanford Achievement Tests) review, and a week of SAT testing, they seem to have become accustomed to deviating from the monotony of the textbook.

I began each period on Monday by trying to explain to my students the importance of returning to their academic schedule. This was my first attempt at motivating the students to want to learn again. I also explained to them that, with only eight weeks remaining in the school year, we had to work hard to reach the goals I had set earlier in the year.

We began the week with a lesson on nouns. Because the students are fairly familiar with these, I thought it would be a good place to begin. Just as I had hoped, most students grasped the lesson quite well. A few experienced some difficulty with possessive nouns; they couldn't decide where to place the apostrophe to show ownership. After practicing on several work sheets, however, the students were able to grasp the concept.

All in all, the week seemed to fly by. Apparently because Friday was a holiday, most of the students were absent on Thursday as well. With a small number of students to teach, I found it impossible to cover the lessons I had planned on teaching. We'll have to make up for this loss of time when the students return next week.

As the weeks pass and we approach the end of the school year, I find myself reflecting back on the beginning of the year. I realize I have come a long way, and so have the students. At this point in the year, I am filled with a number of emotions. In some ways, I regret how quickly the year has ended. In other ways, I am in desperate need of a break!

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