Reflection+on+the+Quarter

At the risk of sounding trite, I must say that I've learned more about myself, my abilities, and the incredible honor that it is to be a teacher than in any other quarter or time in my life. It is strange to me that in the last three months, I have learned more than in the four years I have already spent in school. This is, in large part, due to the fact that I spent the majority of my time this quarter actually working in the classroom.

The last three months, unlike the last three years, have been, more than anything else, all about classroom experience. I was only required to spend nine hours in the school, yet I pushed myself to spend around fifteen. I started going to the middle school two weeks before the students started, and enjoyed being able to start their first day with them. I have watched them learn, grow, and accomplish great things in a matter of a very short period of time. What an honor it is to be able to teach them, to be given this great opportunity to touch the lives of children.

This quarter, I've learned that there are many students out there who have no positive influence in their lives, and I feel so blessed to be that positive role model. I work with a group of students who have been deemed worthy of the extended core program. This is, essentially, similar to a gifted and talented program. These students are self-motivated, driven, and want nothing more than to learn something new and be challenged. At the beginning, I got the impression, based on an unfair stereotypical bias, that all of thse students were likely to come from upper-middle-class, privelaged backgrounds. How else could they all be so bright, so motivated, so willing to challenge themselves to the best of their abilities?

I soon learned that I was wrong. Students in this classroom may be motivated, but they certainly do not all live a carefree life. Many of the students in the class are facing problems greater than I could ever understand. These range from serious health conditions that threaten their everyday functioning, to the fear that there may be no money left at the end of the month for food, to afternoons and evenings all alone because parents are forced to work two jobs in order to make ends meet for the family. These kids have it harder than I ever did, harder than anyone I knew ever did. Yet, they are still so motivated, so willing to learn and grow, that I am completely overwhelmed almost every day. These kids are my inspiration.

I know this may all sound a little fluffy, even a little corny. I just feel so lucky, so blessed to be given the amazing opportunity to work with these kids every day. Despite everything that stands in front of them, they push on through. With recent events in my life threatening to push me to a breaking point, I am so inspired that these ten and eleven-year old children have found the strength to keep on going. They don't jut survive, which given their positions would be considered success, they push themselves to accomplish great things. These are the kids who will do great things because of where they came from. These are the kids who will know how to work hard every single day of their lives in order to get what they want. These are the kids who, in spite of everything, will be doctors and lawyers, and maybe even teachers. Their futures are so bright, and their attitudes so positive. I can only hope that they may learn half as much from me as I have from them.