Easing into fun (and engagement)!

I am a big believer that CRTs are not babysitters, we are not any less of a professional than any other teacher and we can make a big difference in a student's life.   Yes, I understand that we don't know the students backgrounds, or religious standing, mother or father's name or even if they have a learning difficulty.  But I know, CRTs are some of the best teachers I have worked with and are proud to work along side.  CRTs are some of the most creative and inspiring teachers out in schools, who take every situation as it comes, handle changes at the drop of a hat and quite often, fly under the radar, when thanks are handed out.

On my second day of work the classroom teacher was conducting assessment of her students.  A prep/one class.  She had left me a loose outline for the day and didn't really expect much more than for the kids to be happy and settled through the day.  She was dropping in and out of the room all day, taking students and bringing them back (and sort of checking up on the class).  She was a bit nervous as this was the first time the class had had a CRT for the year and she wanted it to be a pleasant experience.

She arrived in after our writing session and to her surprise, she was swamped by students and their workbooks, trying to show her their work!  She took ten minutes out of her assessing schedule and read as many students' writing as possible, congratulating all the students on their imagination.  The smile never left her face.

This teacher caught me at the end of the day and thanked me, also making the point that each student left the room at the end of the day with a smile on their face.  :-)

What more could we all have hoped for.  Happy, engaged students!  Happy classroom teacher!  And a happy me, after having a day full of fun, excitement and lots of learning!

Mel