As a coach, majority of my work is directed towards teachers, so my interaction with students is secondary. When I get the opportunity to work with students, I realize how much I miss it.
I had the pleasure of working with students on dividing with fractions. Their teacher jumped into the action to build her conceptual understanding. From that experience I realized, "I miss this!" I miss the excitement students have when they make connections for themselves. I miss asking those guiding questions to help students get to their understanding.
So I've made the decision to pursue a classroom position. I personally know teachers who would scoff at that statement. But have you ever wanted your favorite coffee so bad that you waited in the Starbucks line for "I don't care how long it takes" amount of time? Well for me, working in the classroom is like waiting for that coffee. All of the paper pushing and evaluations will not keep me from enjoying the sweet brew of students thinking critically and making sense of mathematics.
To start from the beginning of understanding and watch them as they grow is my goal for the next school year. It's like waiting in line for your favorite coffee.
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