Two years well spent. Two years of frustration, tears, flashes of anger, disappointment and a heavy heart. Two years knowing the most beautiful kids I've ever encountered. Two years of pure amazement when a child teaches me more than I've taught them. I've learned kindness, perseverance, strength, honesty, and have gained a satirical sense of humor along the way. Two different school, two different grades, two different subjects, three different classes, three different experiences. But one thing remained the same through them all; love.
My sixth grade kids were awesome. I found myself in a new school, with a group of brilliant Pre-Ap kids eager to learn, but not so eager to do their work. It was like pulling teeth trying to get all their papers back. But, of course, the lowest grade of the class would be about a ninety. I remember a girl crying at her desk because she made a 93 on a test, that I had taken and found slightly challenging. She cried in disappointment and begged Mrs. Kempe to let her retest. They were very self disciplined and there were very rare moments when someone spoke out of turn. Whether that was because of class etiquette or fear of Mrs.Kempe, I'm not quite sure. Those kids taught me to have pride in my work, and the importance of teamwork.
My senior year I found myself torn between two classrooms, a situation I first found slightly annoying. In Mrs. Terry's class I found personalities. BIG personalities. I found students extremely unlike my kids from the previous year. These students were rowdy, disrespectful, fidgety and completely wild. After a few days of warming up, there were a few moments that I had to take charge and straighten them out. There was one time that out of frustration I told a child, "I'm going to staple you to the wall if you don't sit down". I wouldn't have actually done it... but they didn't know that. I also found that these kids were SO interested in my personal life. "What did you do after school? Do you have a boyfriend? Why not? What's your best friends name? What's your favorite color? What do you mean you don't know? Do you have any pets? Why? Why not? Why? Why? WHY?" I'm surprised they never asked me my social security number and shoe size! But I loved those children. They taught me the meaning of fun and showed me the importance of personal connections with the kids you teach.
Then... Mrs. Bemrick's kiddos. The other teachers referred to her class as the "hell raisers". Which, I quickly learned, was a very fitting name for my new students. Everyone was so loud! There was thirty two kids in that class, the majority being boys...boys that were all friends... best friends. The class was a mess! There were the few that would be reprimanded daily, and sent the office weekly. But I promise you, those kids had heart. My favorite experiences with the class was towards the end of my internship when we were reading "The Outsiders" by S.E Hinton. They were in love. It's a book that any kid can relate to. So may of my children come from broken homes, have experienced gang violence, or just know the feeling of loneliness. I think reading their raw emotions on a page, gave them new hope. They were so concerned about Ponyboy and Johnny when they were on the run. They were curious as to why Darry was so hard. They laughed at Sodapop's jokes and were entranced in the fight scenes. A sense of foreboding came when Johnny laid in the hospital, and there were many angry outbursts from the class when Johnny died. One student even refused to continue reading, yelling "That's not fair, Miss!" I watched them come alive, and their journal responses to the book were at least two times longer and more depth that their previous ones. They were learning! Though my kids acting like little hoodrats through the year, I found myself tearing up when the surprised me with a going-away party on my last day, and reading each of their notes they wrote me. My favorite one was when my student, Demond, wrote: "Thank you for everything you taught me. You helped me believe in myself and encouraged me everyday in class. Don't forget me!" The Education and Training internship reinforced my calling as a teacher. It's not going to be easy from this point on. But I am excited to later have a classroom of my own, and see my kids everyday!
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