read between the runs

the school year is chugging along and i feel like i haven’t sat down and really thought deeply about the successes of this school year.

to begin, in november, it was announced that i was selected as the teacher of the year for my school. as much as i may have showed outward disassociation from the award, it’s actually something that i was aiming for since 2020. i have strong memories of walking around my first texas neighborhood visualizing myself at this point. i understand that it really doesn’t mean too much, but it egotistically feels good to believe that my colleagues think that i am doing a great job in my classroom.

if i’m being honest with myself, i felt much more deserving of the award last year, which i think will be the defining year of my career. though less than one year out from the end of that year, it just feels like lightning in a bottle. maybe i’m wrong, but that isn’t the point of this.

earning the teacher of the year nod genuinely means a lot to me. i know how hard i have worked, the extra hours i put in that others don’t, the care i put towards the students that others won’t, and it feels like this was something that i earned. i prepare deeply for each lesson, move the classroom well, and do my best to make sure that each student who comes into my classroom feels like they have an advocate in math and beyond. i have a genuine passion for teaching and it makes me sad when teachers who disparage the kids, don’t speak well about them, and come late win over teachers who are more deserving. i am not convinced that i was the most deserving, but i believe i was more deserving than others who have won in the past. i truly love teaching and think that i am doing the best for each student every day, so it makes sense that i would eventually win.

but enough about that…

i also started coaching this year! and though i would barely call how my team performed a success, it was enlightening nonetheless. i officially won zero games as a head coach, but it was difficult with the team i had. obviously some of the blame lies on me, but when a team of eight only has one player who is a confident ball-handler, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to win. it becomes even harder when the players hate each other, don’t want to practice, and give up when the smallest thing goes wrong in the game.

however, the success arose in the second half of the year. rather than losing all the games by 30 (or 58), we started actually putting up a strong effort from the tip. the newly implemented 1-3-1 defense got the team moving a lot better, and scoring started to pick up. however, it was still the same team and we got in our own way in the second half, no matter how well the first half went. i’m excited to try my hand at coaching again with a team who actually knows how to play. i think waiting for that first win will be all the more sweet.

last, now that my first class has switched since the other algebra teacher left, i feel like my days are going by a bit more easily. i truly loved that first class aside from one particular student, and i do miss teaching them. however, this new first block class is also a joy and very easy to work with. they have less personality, and there are some students i wish i could have kept instead of having them, but it has worked out better than i anticipated.

not sure how to end this one, but hopefully more success are on the way 🙂

do great; be happy