Dear Loved Ones,
I wanted to share with you a “win” I’ve had with my (advanced) students this week. Without going into much detail as I should be in bed right now, I was able to facilitate a conversation with my advanced English speaking class (though the convo was in Spanish) where 3 of the biggest troublemakers of the class turned into leaders as they realized the opportunities ahead of them and how they’ve been blowing it in their efforts. They began to discuss how they need to all pull together as a class to make the most out of the rest of the year and become achievers and set themselves on paths for success. They asked me if I had anything to share and I was able to, first the first time, feel like I could inspire them and really communicate my belief in their abilities (on a week where I’ve mostly felt like a failure). I followed up this conversation with an email (we have a school website and all have email address…visit it at: alteagles.org) and I am sharing this with you below…I received my first (and probably only) reply to the email and wanted to share that as well (short but amazingly sweet).
Dear Bañuelos,
As I reflect on our discussion in class today I feel very inspired by your potential. I know that each and every one of you has special abilities that will help you go very far in life. YOU CAN ALL BECOME SUCCESSFUL!
The reason I told you that only 23% of Hispanic High School students in NYC graduated last year was not because I wanted to scare you or discourage you. I don't want you to think that it is too difficult. I hope that seeing this number of Latino graduates gives you the push and the motivation, that you need to achieve. Si se puede! We are in a special school and you can all graduate and go to college! You are all brilliant students and every time we have a visitor they always tell me what wonderful teenagers you all are.
I feel very luck as a teacher to have you as students and I hope that I can help you go in the right direction, to be a success in life, and to always achieve in everything you do.
I know this email was long (and is a lot of English) but I needed to send this to you.
Have a safe and wonderful weekend! See you all on Monday.
-Mr. Simmerman
“Thank you for your help to learn English.”
-MG
Maybe it's not much of a response to you, but it is to me...and I wanted to share.
for the wild,
andrew
I'm here...
So I’m writing right now, and it feels a bit weird somehow. Maybe it’s because I haven’t written an entry about my students in a while or maybe it’s because I continue to find ways to procrastinate and push away my lesson plans for tomorrow, but whatever it is, I’m writing…and it might be more for me than for you.
I just spoke with a good friend who is doing Teach For America next year and was prompted to write after I put down the phone. Jess is an incredible person who is passionate about serving others and loving God’s children and in many ways inspired me to do what I am doing today. When I found out that she had job offers from TFA, Invisible Children, and International Justice Mission last year, I decided that I needed to get my butt in gear and find ways to streak for a living. I then applied for Teach For America, and here I am today. So when Jess talks to me about her fears, or wonderings rather, about what’s to come in the following two-year commitment, or if teaching should even happen for her it’s a little weird for me to be in this position of experience as it was I who was asking her for advice during the interview process.
When I first heard that Jess was wondering if TFA was right for her, I needed to call her right away and see why. She told me that she had been doing a lot of reading on what the organization believes and wasn’t sure if she really agreed with some of the major philosophies of Teach For America. The biggest one she is having problems with is: ALL children can succeed…it’s up to the teacher to get them to. Teach For America believes in setting high expectations and believing that EACH and EVERY child can achieve greatness; that our students in low-income communities can pass the same exams, graduate with the same high schools standards, and get into the same great colleges as their wealthier counterparts.
After my experience with students like Victor, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who is ILLITERATE in his own Spanish language with parents who are struggling to find work and keep them in the states I begin to wonder how much I believe this. I am reminded of Marino who, try as he might, still has Mount Everest to climb. In fact, new statistics came out recently about the graduation rate of immigrant students (aka MY students): 23% of eligible immigrant students graduated in 2008. 23 %! I am supposed to believe that it is mine and the other teachers’, principals’, and educators’ fault that this rate is not the above the 60% graduation rate of the white, higher-income students?
Here is what I know: I love my students. I hope for my students. I work my ass off for my students. I try as HARD as I can to give them the gift of the English language, which without they will never receive the opportunities to succeed in this faltering country of ours. All I can do is love. All I can do is try. I need to forgive myself and my students when we fail. I need to pick myself back up daily and KNOW that God placed me here for a reason…He put me here to give these kids the love that many of them do not receive at home. I am here to represent white, Christian, straight, able-bodied, wealthy males…to expose these kids to someone of the color that often oppresses them and let them know that I am on their side…that I truly believe that they deserve a chance to succeed in this life. But “We all need someone to take out the trash” (I’ve heard this before)…I am here to fervently argue that it shouldn’t be because lack of opportunity…I am here to teach them how to love and how to care. I am here to teach them respect, and that they will receive respect when they give respect. I am here to love them.
Maybe this doesn’t make me a good teacher…maybe these things just make me a good mentor and role model. But as I know that God has me here for these reasons, he is allowing me to teach them along the way. Because my students know this is why I am here, they try for me…they learn for me…and maybe they will achieve for me. Regardless of how we get to the places where we are, if we are where God wants us to be then He will work through us and we don’t have to worry if we are doing a good job or not because God’s work is always and will always be GOOD.
for the wild,
andrew
I just spoke with a good friend who is doing Teach For America next year and was prompted to write after I put down the phone. Jess is an incredible person who is passionate about serving others and loving God’s children and in many ways inspired me to do what I am doing today. When I found out that she had job offers from TFA, Invisible Children, and International Justice Mission last year, I decided that I needed to get my butt in gear and find ways to streak for a living. I then applied for Teach For America, and here I am today. So when Jess talks to me about her fears, or wonderings rather, about what’s to come in the following two-year commitment, or if teaching should even happen for her it’s a little weird for me to be in this position of experience as it was I who was asking her for advice during the interview process.
When I first heard that Jess was wondering if TFA was right for her, I needed to call her right away and see why. She told me that she had been doing a lot of reading on what the organization believes and wasn’t sure if she really agreed with some of the major philosophies of Teach For America. The biggest one she is having problems with is: ALL children can succeed…it’s up to the teacher to get them to. Teach For America believes in setting high expectations and believing that EACH and EVERY child can achieve greatness; that our students in low-income communities can pass the same exams, graduate with the same high schools standards, and get into the same great colleges as their wealthier counterparts.
After my experience with students like Victor, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who is ILLITERATE in his own Spanish language with parents who are struggling to find work and keep them in the states I begin to wonder how much I believe this. I am reminded of Marino who, try as he might, still has Mount Everest to climb. In fact, new statistics came out recently about the graduation rate of immigrant students (aka MY students): 23% of eligible immigrant students graduated in 2008. 23 %! I am supposed to believe that it is mine and the other teachers’, principals’, and educators’ fault that this rate is not the above the 60% graduation rate of the white, higher-income students?
Here is what I know: I love my students. I hope for my students. I work my ass off for my students. I try as HARD as I can to give them the gift of the English language, which without they will never receive the opportunities to succeed in this faltering country of ours. All I can do is love. All I can do is try. I need to forgive myself and my students when we fail. I need to pick myself back up daily and KNOW that God placed me here for a reason…He put me here to give these kids the love that many of them do not receive at home. I am here to represent white, Christian, straight, able-bodied, wealthy males…to expose these kids to someone of the color that often oppresses them and let them know that I am on their side…that I truly believe that they deserve a chance to succeed in this life. But “We all need someone to take out the trash” (I’ve heard this before)…I am here to fervently argue that it shouldn’t be because lack of opportunity…I am here to teach them how to love and how to care. I am here to teach them respect, and that they will receive respect when they give respect. I am here to love them.
Maybe this doesn’t make me a good teacher…maybe these things just make me a good mentor and role model. But as I know that God has me here for these reasons, he is allowing me to teach them along the way. Because my students know this is why I am here, they try for me…they learn for me…and maybe they will achieve for me. Regardless of how we get to the places where we are, if we are where God wants us to be then He will work through us and we don’t have to worry if we are doing a good job or not because God’s work is always and will always be GOOD.
for the wild,
andrew
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