My First Two Months of Teaching Catholic
Third Graders
Miss Reilly
It is not easy and the resistance does not come from the
children but from sources you would not expect but we do it all for Our Lord.
Right now I'm at school on Saturday preparing report cards for my 26 3rd grade students and scheduling parent/teacher conferences for their parents. It has been an exciting two months, I've learned more about third grade children and learned so much from them. I teach them mathematics while I regress into holding up three fingers whenever I say third grade. I hear their voices around me on my "time off". I pray for them at daily Mass and try to do three hours of Adoration every week for them.
My day begins around 5am when I arise, say my prayers,
shower, etc. I leave around 6am for 6:30 Mass which is on the same property as
my school. 7 am I sign into school, get some coffee and eat something, prepare
my classroom, meet with any parents who might have requested a meeting. 7:45
-7:50 the principal calls all teachers together for prayers and our morning
meeting. 8:10 - 8:20 the students come into the classroom while I
take attendance, do the Extended Day care schedule and take lunch orders. It is
quite hectic. Students surround my desk with questions, comments, and things
they just have to show me. This goes on while I am filling out all the morning
reports and students are still wandering into the classroom. With one eye I do
the reports, with the other eye I look at the students around my desk and with
my third eye I regulate the students who want to run around the room. It is a
FAST 10 minutes. 8:20 prayers are announced over the loud speaker and the
entire room quiets down while we pray, pledge to the flag, and sing a patriotic
song. Immediately after that I put all my paper work into the basket outside of
my classroom.
I ring a bell to remind the students to quiet down for our
classroom prayers and they all take out their rosary. We pray a decade or two
immediately in the morning and then finish the rosary through out the day, the
students take turns beginning the rosary and leading a decade. 8:30 we
begin our religion class. We are blessed to use the Faith and Life Series "Our
Life with Jesus" as our text and work book. Every Tuesday we have
"Saint Presentations". Two - Four students come as Saints, they
introduce themselves as St. Ignatius, St. Rose, St. Francis, etc. and then tell
us about their life as if they are the actual Saint. Costumes are optional but
about 75% wear a home-made costume. St. Francis even had the wounds of Christ
on his palms, St. Ignatius had a sword, and St. Rose shook her fist at the boys
who jeered when she said many men wanted to marry her (it was so cute). I have
a large schedule of Saints for the entire year as each students will present
three or four Saints.
After religion class, we pray another decade of the rosary
and then take out our readers. I then ring the bell, we pray Grace before Meals
and the students take out their snack bags. After snack we might return to
reading or math. Lunch is at 11:55 to 12:15 followed by a 20 minute recess. We
pray grace before we leave our classroom. I then march the children to the
cafeteria, they are expected to remain in line and silent. Can you imagine
marching sixteen boys and ten girls in complete silence (it ain't easy). I walk
them to the doors of the cafeteria, I go through the door and they follow as I
dash out of their way and head for the kitchen. I get a free small salad and a
child's portion of whatever they are eating, every Monday I get one slice of
cheese pizza, Tuesday is either a hot dog or little dish of penne,
Wednesday is chicken nuggets, Thursday is grilled cheese, Friday is baked potato.
I take my food back to the classroom and eat and try to read my e-mail. If
there is a fight or disruption in the cafeteria or on the playground the
monitor will come and get me so I don't always finish my lunch.
12:35 I go the the playground doors and march my sweaty
students back to our classroom. Once again they are expected to be silent in
the halls. Many of the girls will hug me when I come to get them. We march
through the halls back to our classroom. I then take out a chair and read to
them from the Bible while they calm down and cool off. Afternoons we finish the
rosary and I teach Social Studies, Handwriting, Spelling Tests, and Science.
The student schedule varies day to day. Twice a week they
have a 30 minute Spanish class, P.E. twice a week, Music twice a week, computer
once a week, library once a week. I do any art projects for the class
(eeeeeeeeeeek) but there is an after school art class for talented students as
well as after school chess club, choir, and band. The entire school goes to
Mass every Friday. My class stays for adoration and all classes are scheduled
for adoration every First Friday. I have introduced the Angelus to my class but
we have not yet included it into our everyday schedule. I am happy enough to
have my 26 third graders praying and leading the entire rosary everyday.
Dismissal is at 3-3:10. After my students leave I dash
outside for car pool duty. We do not have a school bus but the teachers have
to control traffic in the parking lot as parents pick up their children. I
then return to my classroom until about 5:30pm and yes many evenings are spent
correcting papers.
Please keep me in your prayers, I love my students and hope
I can help them. I am very blessed to have this opportunity. The other night I
woke up around 3am and thought all 26 children were around my bed yelling
"Ms. Reilly, Ms. Reilly" All I could think was how did they know
where I live and what are they doing out at night? Gradually I woke up and
realized the 26 children were not in my little room but it is quite an
experience spending all day with 26 8 and 9 year old children. Yes they do
slip and call me "Mom" or "Mommy", they cry
and run to me for comfort. They get mad at me and then want to sit next to me
at Mass. I see their kindness to one another and their meanness. I talk to them
about the Great Saints and wonder if I am blessed to teach a Great Saint?
It is not easy
and the resistance does not come from the children but from sources you would
not expect but we do it all for Our Lord.
MissReilly@OurLadysWarriors.org
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