Working in a Green Bay school has been an eye-opening experience for me so far, especially because I come from a relatively well-off, rural school, so to go into an urban setting where poverty is much more widespread has been truly humbling. It gives me more insights into how much these kids have to deal with outside of school (for example, one kid was absolutely over the moon just to get a lunchbox, something I probably wouldn’t have thought anything of as a kid) and how that reflects into their behavior in the classroom. I hear classmates talk about how awful their experiences have been, but I’ve been going through what I’ve experienced to ultimately add to the first part of my teaching philosophy: “The hardest kids to love are the ones who need it the most.” Not so much that any child is hard to love, but the ones who may be difficult to work with at first or frustrate other teachers, I have found that when given someone to listen to them, open up into wonderful, talented people. I am learning so much about how being a teacher transcends the classroom and academic walls, but also learning how to connect with each student individually, especially those who are behind academically or even multilingual (turns out, speaking just a little bit of their first language is really helpful and makes them so much more apt to trust you and let you help them more quickly!) I was really on the fence about if education was right for me because I was so worried about getting burnt out quickly, dealing with difficult students, and if the connections you make with your kids really make education a worthwhile career because of how tolling it is. Halfway through the Village Project, I can truly say I do believe this is the right path for me because these kids need a champion and it is so incredibly rewarding to see the impact I am making (kids now get excited to see me every day and are making leaps and bounds academically when they get the help and love they need) to the point where I am considering switching to elementary education!
This is a powerful reflection Elise. The ability to step back and frame what you see, to put it in context, is a tool that will serve you well as an educator. As you say, the essence of being an impactful educator is “…learning how to connect with each student individually…”
Peace,
Dr. R