I still love teaching!

Today, I was prepared to teach "How to write a personal narrative" to my 5th graders. I photocopied samples of elementary narratives, showed them to my students, read them together in class, and went about how to do it. 

While I was in the midst of asking them questions on their thoughts of each story, many were eager to share. They compared and contrasted the stories, noticed the difference in writing style, felt the writers' feelings and positions, and empathized with them. One student even cried because he remembered his grandpa who just died a few weeks ago. There was a personal narrative I shared titled "Grandpa, Chaz, and Me." These emotions are what make narratives meaningful. They are real-life stories, and ten-year olds have stories to tell. 

When the students were brainstorming which story of their life they would like to share, some of them got stuck. Others told me they do not have anything important in their lives. One boy even said, "Mrs. Glaze, we are just 10 years old. Our life is just short. We do not have much." I widely grinned. I thought, "This is a teachable moment. Don't mess up, Rica." I told them that all lives are interesting, and each has a good story to tell. I encouraged them to think about their firsts - first piano recital, first airplane ride, first trip to the dentist, first time you saw your brother/sister, first time to try strange food, first trip to Disneyland, etc. My examples opened their eyes! They got the "Eureka" moment! That particular boy wrote down, "The Day I Sprained my Ankle." 

I love teaching. There are so many teachable moments. I love it when my students get hungry for knowledge. I love it when I see their eyes thirsting for answers. I love it when they ask questions. I just love it.