Wildcat Pride and GratitudeShowing students I care while still managing a classroom has been a struggle at times. It takes a lot to earn students' trust, and if that trust is lost, it is even more difficult to earn back. Caring and empathy come easily to me, and yet conveying these inherently vulnerable emotions while trying to be the authority figure in the room has not always been easy. For me, most of my caring ends up happening in one-on-one situations and outside of the classroom--I can be a more authentic version of myself when not performing in front of the entire class. I love watching my students perform artistically in choir, theater, and band and athletically in football, basketball, volleyball, and track.
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Every semester, I have asked students to write letters to an adult at school thanking them for something (shout out to MTC 2013er Calyn Autry for the idea). Students complete this during the first bell ringer back for the second nine weeks of that semester (start of second quarter and fourth quarter). I love delivering these letters to other teachers and fostering bonds between students and my fellow educators, but every now and then, I get a few letters sent to me that make me smile. I tuck them away into a folder labeled "TYs," but this one at the right was written on a bell ringer sheet (not following directions) and so I couldn't save it. It's particularly special because it came from a student who had made me cry a few weeks prior.
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While I attempt to show my Wildcat Pride in an equitable way by going to as many events as possible, ALL of my students know that you can find Ms. Peña at every home and select away basketball games. Supporting the Wildcats "on the hardwood floors" has been my favorite way to care for my students--offering a friendly face (and even tutoring) in the stands, talking trash briefly in class, and just generally getting to be a little bit less formal is always welcome.
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In my attempts to show students that I care on a daily basis, I try to take note of general mood and appearance of most of my students. I consistently give compliments for new hairstyles or accessories, and I am quick to quietly ask a student with a head down or a sad look if he or she is doing okay today. While I don't always succeed at being my kindest, biggest, warmest self, that is the person I strive to be when looking after my students on a daily basis.
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