My Kryptonite

Last week I shared with you my teaching superpower. Today, it's time to reveal my kryptonite...

... that one thing that brings me to my knees in despair, that elicits the biggest sighs, the most wringing of my hands, the urge to give up and walk away....

Poor memory skills.

You'll see what I mean when I tell you about my first grader Darren. We'd been practicing the same 5 sight words every single day for two weeks: his, of, for, he, to.

Recently, when we sat down to practice, he got them ALL right the first time around. I did a big cheer! He clapped and smiled wide. I decided to go through the words one more time after we were done cheering. This time? Approximately 5.6 seconds later? He only knew two of the words.

ARRRRRGH!

And it's not just for sight words - he just can't remember things from one day to the next.

And this is why it's my kryptonite:

Behavior issues? I've got strategies.
Reading fluency? I've got some tricks up my sleeve.
Vocabulary? I've got you covered.
Decoding? Yes, I can help you there.

But memory skills?!?!? Nope. I've got nothing! I can call your mom and make sure you're getting enough sleep and give you a healthy breakfast at school, but beyond that... it's simply out of my hands!

What about you? Do you feel powerless in your own classroom sometimes?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mine is parents. At the high school level, they somehow lose interest in their own children's education. Go to a meet the teacher night in 1st grade and they're all there, but in 10th grade, you're lucky to see 1 or 2. And if they are interested, it is only to complain that the grade is too low.

malia said...

I think Moms have the same issues-- at least I do with my 9 year old... he can only remember 1-2 things at a time and it makes me CRAZY sometimes!

Kristin W said...

Same! I used to tell my husband that I had a really good memory. Um, no. I thought I did until I became an adult...especially working with kids all day. But who am I kidding...I've never been good at tests due to my lack of ability to memorize.

Sarah Garb said...

AAAAaaa...so frustrating! And with sight words, there's no phonics rule to refer to as a hint, or other words that might be similar, or a math fact shortcut...you just. Have. To. Remember. It. Keep at it!

Randy et Jan said...

Put it to music?? What kid doesn't remember a "jingle?" Love you, Mom

Miss Kat's Parents said...

It's tough. Deaf kids (oral and ASL) all seem to struggle with memory issues. My daughter has a teacher at her school whose PhD thesis was about memory and deaf kids. She might have some strategies if you are interested...

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