Little Victories

Closing in on finishing my sixth week of teaching and I am slowing starting to see the progress my students have made.  I have seen the growth they all have made just from the first few days of school.  My students know our routine and schedule and the expectations during each transition.  In the morning they all know to take off their backpack, take out their water bottle, place it on the table and put their backpack away.  At first my TA's were doing this for them, but I was insistent on my students doing it themselves.  It has been hard working for a private school teaching preschool.  I believe in student independence and play-based learning, but these parents paid for their child to learn the ABC's and 123's.  On top of all that, I am teaching them in a language they do not understand and I have no idea who these children are except from what I can observe.  It's hard not being able to listen in on their conversations with one another or hear what they say while doing an art activity.  

This week I sat back and tried to think of the little victories that have occurred during the first six weeks.  

All students know how to say 'Please,' 'No thank you,' 'Good morning,' and 'Help please.'
All students can sing 'head shoulders knees and toes,' 'Friends, 123,' 'If you're happy and you know it,' 'Open shut them,' and 'Happy birthday.'
Students have started asking to go peepee.
Students clean up toys they have been playing with.
My one no-napper took a nap!
Students have been calling me 'Miss Jones' instead of 'teacher.'
Students are using each others names.
Students say 'no thank you' to each other in English.
Days go by when no one wets their pants.
Students do not put toys in their mouths anymore.

Those are the biggest ones so far that I can think of.  Sitting back and thinking about how far my students have some, helps me to look forward to what progress my students will make in the future.  Being an ESL teacher is vey challenging, but I am having so much fun in the process.