Skip to main content

All That is New

I walk into my 14th year teaching walking into a new classroom (literally).  The past 14 years of my teaching life have been spent on the second floor in the same room, Room 202.  I now reside on the first floor, room 126.

     Quite unexpectedly I have found a burst of novelty.  Not only for the physical space in which I teach, but also in the teaching itself.  A fresh perspective; from the scene outside my "new" window to the way my space is organized.  The move allowed me to rid myself of items that I no longer used or needed, providing a cleaner, more organized look to my current classroom.  Couple this novelty with the new school year and I find myself with an extra "spring in my step" as I cruise around the room as students work.  

     Then there are the students.  New faces for me to pair with the names I've written and typed on so many documents thus far.   As I was setting up my classroom, grade-book, and organizing the various aspects of the room I recognized some names from having their siblings in the past, others were new to my eyes, and still others were also familiar--but I never had the pleasure of teaching their siblings. The names come to life as I meet my new students.  We enjoy the time we have now as we get to know one another, as personalities shine through, and as we embark on the business of learning.

     The routines are being presented and practiced.  My voice grows hoarse as I am speaking more than I have in the past two months.  My feet are sore at the end of the day as I haven't worn my "school-shoes "all summer.  My alarm clock now is the first sign of the new day each morning as it unfailingly wakes me so that I may prepare for another day of teaching.  

     My students are busy organizing themselves; figuring out their goals, finding the best way to set up their desks and lockers, and exploring the classroom, the rules, and their friendships.  They play the most important role in this building...a role that requires determination, focus, strength, and stamina.   They endure & experience disappointment, excitement, mistakes, and successes.  They takes risks daily as they are asked to push their minds to the limits...seeking that elusive answer and the process that gets them there.  

     So as I can say I miss my old room for what it was, what it taught me, and more importantly, for the people who shared it with me...I can also say that I am looking forward to this school year with a quiet confidence elicited by all that is new.
Mr. Casten
August 22, 2014
Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Looking Out

Looking Out Originally written May 27, 2015 Lightly edited for clarity in August 2026. Just hours ago, my students left. They are on their way to summer adventures, family time, and friends. Just as quickly as they walked into my life, they walked out again. Yet each of them will always be a part of my life. When a school year begins, my new students are just that—students. They arrive as a group, and at first there is little that distinguishes them beyond their physical appearance. They are quiet, reserved, and and still unknown to me. During those first few days, I snap a picture of each one, not yet knowing who they really are. I work to learn their names and match each one to a classroom number. I try to figure out who knows whom from the neighborhood. I share pieces of my own life, hoping they'll eventually share theirs. Time meanders on. Slowly, they begin to let their light shine. Slowly, they begin to share what's important to them. Slowly, I'm afforded the opportu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Art & Science

     The familiar winds of autumn blew rapidly through the playground.   Ponytails flying, unzipped jackets flapping, and soaring playground balls all took errant paths.        Just as fall has briskly left so has trimester one.   Reports cards were sent home today and I plan on placing the final touches to each student’s conference narrative.   The practice of filling out the narrative for my students has become one of my favorite “at home” aspects of teaching.   I look forward to retreating to my little office in the basement, surrounded by the faint noises of my family upstairs, and writing.   I seem to enter into a world only my students and I really know; the life of Room 211 on a daily basis.       My mind pictures each student as I am writing about them.   Their faces make an entrance into my thoughts followed by the smile I see each day.   I travel back in t...
2 comments
Read more

Running...

Running... Original post written on August 18, 2012. Minor changes for clarity made in Aug 2026. Twelve years. That's how long I have been teaching at Lincoln. Twelve years. That's how long I have taken the same route from my house to school. In that time I have seen many houses for sale, then sold. Some were torn down to make room for a new house, a new family, and new students. I've seen the streets that I traverse through Elmhurst being ripped apart and rebuilt to make them safer and more driver friendly, not to mention more car-friendly. Twelve years. I've seen high school kids standing on corners, waiting for the school bus to pick them up for school. Some of them recognize my car while others recognize me as their former teacher. Most of them, however, probably do not pay much attention to me as I pass by. Among all that I see, Monday through Friday mornings there is an unmistakable figure, usually two blocks ahead of me on Fairfield. He is a man. He has slightly ...
Post a Comment
Read more