Tonight's Poet Corner: Introspection
Today, I ran my very last GirlSMART class with my ten second graders. And to be fair, it was pretty fun. The girls made bracelets for each other. They wrote nice messages to me and other teachers. They played "Two Truths And A Lie" while eating cupcakes. They completely wrapped up the literacy program, and next week will be their last week of school before the summer and before they all become third graders.
I wish I could say that the whole experience was brilliant, and that I completely changed these girls' lives and got them back into reading full swing. I can't say that. Not with full confidence, anyway. I would be so happy if I positively influenced only one girl in that group of ten, because when it all came down to one thing, it was the students I worked with. And not just the GirlSMART students, either - I tutored several second, fourth, and fifth graders, though I wonder more with them if I made a difference.
I was talking with my mom about my concerns tonight, actually - my worries that my absence wouldn't have changed any of the students' life paths at all. My mom's a pretty thoughtful woman, and she said to me that not only will I never be able to evaluate my influence, but I also shouldn't try to. The thing about teaching is that, without being too mundane or listless, the work you do does have a structure to it. It does contain a point A to point B at times, even if perhaps point A later goes to point C or point D. The point (ha!) is that as a teacher, you have a goal, much like students do. They learn certain things - you learn certain things. You teach them, and in a way, they teach you. And that's what I'll treasure the most out of my entire experience with GirlSMART and the school I worked at.
My commitment to AmeriCorps ends on July 13th, so I do have a bit more work to cover before I manically search for another job. And I'm just going to leave it at that. There are a lot of "what ifs" cropping up in my life now. I just have to put one foot in front of the other and see what ensues.
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.
I wish I could say that the whole experience was brilliant, and that I completely changed these girls' lives and got them back into reading full swing. I can't say that. Not with full confidence, anyway. I would be so happy if I positively influenced only one girl in that group of ten, because when it all came down to one thing, it was the students I worked with. And not just the GirlSMART students, either - I tutored several second, fourth, and fifth graders, though I wonder more with them if I made a difference.
I was talking with my mom about my concerns tonight, actually - my worries that my absence wouldn't have changed any of the students' life paths at all. My mom's a pretty thoughtful woman, and she said to me that not only will I never be able to evaluate my influence, but I also shouldn't try to. The thing about teaching is that, without being too mundane or listless, the work you do does have a structure to it. It does contain a point A to point B at times, even if perhaps point A later goes to point C or point D. The point (ha!) is that as a teacher, you have a goal, much like students do. They learn certain things - you learn certain things. You teach them, and in a way, they teach you. And that's what I'll treasure the most out of my entire experience with GirlSMART and the school I worked at.
My commitment to AmeriCorps ends on July 13th, so I do have a bit more work to cover before I manically search for another job. And I'm just going to leave it at that. There are a lot of "what ifs" cropping up in my life now. I just have to put one foot in front of the other and see what ensues.
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.
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