New Challenge

I had a couple of successful years teaching sixth grade Math, then my world was rocked. My Principal at the time informed me of a new position. This decision came as a complete shock to me.

I was told that I would be co-teaching a class for the coming school year. I was used to having my own space, now I was going to be paired with another teacher!? Who was I going to be paired with and what was this new assignment all about? I was filled with frustration and feelings of uncertainty.

About two weeks before teachers were to report to campus for the new school year, I received an email from the Principal with details of my new assignment. I was going to be co-teaching a Math objectives class. The purpose of this class was to accelerate Math instruction for students that either failed their state Math assessment or barely passed. I felt somewhat better knowing what was going to be expected.

Once back on campus my co-teacher and I met with the Principal to get an idea of how the class would be structured. Students were assigned by grade level. We mapped out what objectives we would focus on and created pre and post tests for each grade level. We had a pretty solid plan in place.

I still had some reservations about what I was being asked to do. I met with the Principal to ask if there was something I did wrong that made him choose me to help teach this class. He assured me I had not done anything wrong and reinforced his confidence in me to help carry out his vision. This conversation helped to reframe my thoughts. Challenge accepted….