Miss Honey or Ms. Trunchbull?

So I had parent teacher conference last week and all went well, which is good because I heard some horror stories from my co-workers. I was also told a cute story from a parent. One of my students was watching Matilda, turned to her mom, and said, "Ya know Mom, if my teacher's hair was a little different color, she'd be Miss Honey!" I guess that's always a plus to be thought of as the nice teacher instead of the evil teacher in the movie. It's always hard to know how your students perceive you, especially when they're getting frustrating and you're stressed. But it was good to hear another mom say whenever she gets upset with her boys (I have twin boys in my class) they always tell her, "Mom stop yelling! Our teacher never yells at us when she's upset." Hopefully my students next year will think of me the same way...it will be very different teaching in NYC and I'll have to adjust culturally once again. You forget while you're teaching mostly LDS students how different their lives are compared to kids everywhere else in the country. When I was testing my students during reading benchmarks, I was reminded of this unique situation I've been teaching in. My student had read a book and I asked him the same question I'd asked the other students and said, "What kind of person was his dad?" The right answer and the one most students respond with is that he's a good person and they proceed to explain why. This particular student answered, "I think he's a missionary." I was a little confused and asked why he'd said that and he replied, "Because he helps people." What a good answer! Then I started to laugh because I can only imagine what a non-LDS teacher some where else in the country would have thought about this student's answer. I know that will be me when I enter into another culture in NYC. I felt it once and I know I'm going to feel it again - like an outsider. I'll be the different one. I'll be the one that isn't in the "club." It's been so comfortable understanding what my students are always talking about because it's things I talked about when I was eight as a mormon child. This next year will be good, but it'll be so different. I've enjoyed seeing what education can be like in good communities, with stable families, and lots of supportive people. I've realized the huge difference involved parents can make in children's education, and I've realized what type of parent I want to be. Each morning as I drive among the picturesque mountains, I feel like I'll really miss this beautiful rural community I've grown to love and respect. I know I've learned a lot and I know these experiences have all been for my own good.