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I have always viewed teaching as my vocation. That had never been clearer to me than the moment I walked into my first Foundation Literacy class in September of 2017.
The amazing students before ranged in age from 20 years old to 72 years old. Standing in front of them, I took a deep breath, smiled and said, “Good Morning.” To my surprise they replied in unison, “Good Morning.” My smile got bigger, and so did theirs. It was love at first sight, at least for me! We continued the first morning establishing names orally, and writing names on cards to display on their desks. Some were able to write their name, others pulled out PR Cards and copied, I thought, hey, that’s a good strategy. Others communicated to me that they weren’t able, so I copied for them. By coffee break, names Done!
We continued the day with a tour of the school, a picture schedule, a demonstration of the door code, and finally some tracing worksheets to wrap up the day. As in the morning, I stood before them, took a deep breath, (I was exhausted!), smiled and said, “Thank you, see you tomorrow.” There were a thousand see you tomorrows!” The joy and satisfaction was palpable! Alone in my classroom, I felt privileged and blessed. Blessed to share this journey with students, students who would eventually learn to recognize the letters and print on a line, but more than that, these dear students would should me that vulnerability is so beautiful when trust and respect is present.
Amanda Pike, Fd L Teacher/PBLA Lead Teacher