"I ain't even white." |
I decided to start the school year out with one of my most eye-opening activities from last year. "I wish my teacher knew..." was an assignment I adapted to my high school students that truly taught me so much. You can check out part one here. I have so many wonderful new students this year that I cannot wait to get to know, to watch grow and learn and mature. There has been so much happening at school that I cannot disclose due to confidentiality, but please know it has been a rough and rocky start to this school year. Chaos is an apt word. But even though today felt like stormy waters, I still learned so much about my students. My students anonymously filled in the blanks for "I wish my teacher knew..." And dang, I forgot how deep it can get. I will keep this brief. Take a moment to read and reflect on the gravity of sharing some of these statements... because this is just a snapshot of the gravity of students' lives all across the country. I wish my teacher knew... - I didn't like school. - I really don't like to talk. - I actually like Spanish - that something so serious is going on in my life right now, and I don't know what to do. - I'm not trying to get booked. - that her smile and energy brighten up everyone's day. - I almost committed suicide. These conversations, these lives are real. Please continue to send love and prayers to our students as they navigate both school and life. Sending all our love back to you.
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Students, Day 1. I woke up this morning in complete chaos. My sleep schedule is a disaster. My emotions are utter anarchy. I haven't been eating well. My caffeine addiction is at an all-time high. I am in shambles. Not a good place to be when you're welcoming back an at-risk student population into your white girl of a classroom. But I coffeed my way to school. Then I saw them... about 7 familiar faces from last year. The difference between today and my first day a year ago was undeniable. Those hard, cold faces lit up a little upon my screeching, "Hiiiii!!! So good to see you! How was your summer?!" This year, I have students in my corner. I don't have to fight for my right to be here; I belong here. Today was an orientation day, and I was the overflow room. First thing this morning, I had all of the returning students packed in my teeny, lovely, brightly colored, and well-poetried classroom. We talked about summer jobs, pregnancies, who they're living with now, how much they can't wait to graduate... It was like they never left. My lifeless room was full of the energy I had been missing. I had them fill out one of those "Welcome Back" kind of worksheets, but instead of normal, boring questions, I found some questions that were more relevant to me learning about them as people. Here are some of their answers: 1. In a word, describe school- long, stressful, cool, interesting, fun, exciting 2. Write one word that describes you as a person- bright, different, funny, interesting, positive, loving, silly, shy, good And then I got to number 3... Backstory: I had so many teachers shape my life. I think back to elementary school and high school specifically, and I can recall some of the most wonderfully inspiring humans. I figured there would be someone back in their elementary school days that they loved since most of them have fallen out of the school system since then. Well... 3. Who was the best teacher you ever had? Why? - Mrs. Tellis. Only Spanish class I had fun in. - Mrs. Tellis - Mrs. Tellis, because she cool and we did fun things and stuff - Tellis - Mrs. Tellis because I always had a good time in her class and she always helped me out Out of 7 returning students, 5 wrote down my name... My emotional self can't keep her s*** together today. I forgot. I forgot how much I loved them. I forgot how much I cared about everything they say and do and learn and love and feel. By the end of the day, they were rapping and laughing and breaking every classroom swear rule I have... and it was everything I needed.
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AuthorA young woman trying to figure out why she matters and where she belongs in a struggling, urban culture. CategoriesArchives
November 2016
All stories, opinions, and suggestions are written strictly by the author of this blog, and do not reflect the opinions or stance of Communities in Schools of Philadelphia.
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