Back when I student taught I worked in a school with kids who really struggled. They came from the inner city, had parents that weren't around (and not because they were working), and basically the last thing on their mind was school.
I had one little girl, A, and she was among the set of kids that I really worried about. She hated her mother with a passion I couldn't understand but at the same time could. It was hard for me to realize the world she lived in but I felt for her. I could see her pain.
I remember the day very clearly. It was a Wednesday and it was her birthday that next day, Thursday. It was right before spring break. I remember she walked in to school that Wednesday so excited that I went home and told my boyfriend at the time her story that she told me. She said that her mother was going to bake cupcakes for her to pass around class. I told my boyfriend that I was concerned because of the way her mother makes empty promises.
The next day A came in in the most adorable outfit. She was glowing with excitement and I felt so happy for her. As the day went on she became more and more upset by the evident lack of cupcakes that she was promised for her birthday. By 2:00 she was beyond miserable and everyone knew how unhappy she was. She had spent a lot of the day not paying attention to any work that I was trying to teach. At around 2:40 she got called down the office. A packed her bag thinking that she was going home only to come back a few minutes later with a tray full of cupcakes. She procceeded to pass out all the cupcakes to anyone and everyone that she could... Including the Principal whose office she spent most of her time with and the Security Guard who usually had to assist her down to the office when she had her angry outbursts.
Between my boyfriend and myself we made one little girl extraordinarily happy. She spent the last few minutes of the day ridiculously happy, laughing and smiling. After we came back from spring break she came up to me and cocked her head to the side, asking very slyly if my boyfriend and I like to bake. I very plainly said that we liked to do a lot of things. The last day of my student teaching she hugged me and told me thank you and that she loved me. I helped make a difference in A's life. I helped make a little girl feel special for a few moments on her birthday.
Teaching isn't always about getting across numbers and letters. It's about making sure that kids feel safe and happy...If they don't feel that way they won't spend any time learning.
Keep Teaching,
Lauren
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