Extra

        This week has been a lesson in the word extra. For those of you who don't converse in cityspeak Extra means too much as in that boy's hat is extra or that girl's hair is extra or in my case those kids of yours need a lot of extra. My class is comprised of 15 students receiving title services (testing significantly below grade level in math or reading), 3 retained first graders, 2 IEPs (Individualized Education Plans), 4 students who are currently seeing a therapist and about a dozen more who need to be seeing one. To say that my co-teacher and I's job is tough is an understatement. I often make the analogy that we are doing a juggling routine of trying to keep all our kids learning and happy and all too often one or more of the balls drop. 
      As an example let me share with you a snippet within our classroom. I greet each student as they come to their lockers. B is almost always in a gloomy mood and I am lucky to get about 4 words out of her before she goes to class. J refuses to take ownership of his action (pushing someone out of line in the bathroom) yesterday and I have a 10 minute discussion with him about using kind words and kind actions. When I arrive in the classrooms after checking all my scholars homework I find M off the carpet walking around, S hugging the pipe that is next to our carpet, B crying at her desk and C with his back to Mrs. S and his feet stuck out. I begin triage. I ask M and B to sit on the carpet, then begin threatening with a countdown and a consequence. She and he comply but are both angry. I remove C from the carpet and have him sit in time out. He is frustrated and started beating the wall with the chair. I take 5 minutes to de-escalate him talking in a calm voice and asking him why he is frustrated. I tell him what he needs to do to get out of time out and move on to S who is still hugging the pipe. I issue a consequence and S decides to fall on the carpet. I issue another consequence and remind S that if he wants to achieve his incentive of being the line leader he can only get 2 consequences before I take his job away. S chooses to sit up but he is still slightly angry. All of this takes place between 8:00 and 8:15. In a word... extra. 
      So what do you do as a teacher who knows a new trick to try with each of these challenging kids but has so many of them it is difficult to implement them consistently? So far I have reached out to other colleagues with more experience and done my best to get parents in the loop. However, these interventions haven't been entirely successful. So that leaves me in this uncomfortable space of knowing I can't meet all of my kids needs and wanting desperately to see that they are successful. It is here that my roommate and Dad reminded of vitally important information. These students are not mine first. They belong to God first and if I equate my success with how my students perform I will constantly be on a roller coaster of circumstances. On the other hand,  if I trust Him to provide for my students and place my success in the finished work of the cross I open myself to the Kingdom perspective for each of my kids that God has entrusted to me for this year... and in a word provide all the extra they need. 

"Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever." 
-Psalm 73: 23-26