A Small Success

Like many teachers, my homeroom period is one that causes great anxiety; it is the period I have traditionally looked forward to the least. Homeroom is a class intended for remediation or improvement of RIT scores, but is not in a subject I am really equipped to teach. Consequently every day feels like I am trying to paddle up class 5 rapids. Today was a little different. I think it was so for two reasons. One: I was talking to one of my football players yesterday after practice who is also in my homeroom. In our discussion, he was complaining about the heat and how he didn't like homeroom at all. After his comment, I turned, looked him in the eye, and told him that I needed him to be a leader in that class. He sighed and said, "but Coach, the heat be puttin' me to sleep", to which I responded, "Fred, leaders lead without condition, they don't make excuses or find ways out, they lead without condition". He understood yesterday and remembered this morning. Two: One of the students who is traditionally the most disruptive and difficult asked if they could listen to music after we were done. I thought back to a conversation I had had previously with a veteran teacher, who suggested I provide some sort of reward for my homeroom if they were cooperative. Instead of shooting the idea out of the water, I thought I'd try things a little differently, and experiment. After we finished our work, we listened to Yo Gotti and Lil Boosie for a little bit. Not the greatest rap artists I've ever heard, but it was amazing how much better I felt at the end of that period. Like I said, I didn't have any student's get a full ride to an Ivy League, but a small success. Grace and Peace.