Teaching is like a roller coaster ride. There are ups and downs, some turns you can do without, some drops that make you nauseous, and some moments that give you the best feeling in the world. I left work on Thursday as a loser. In the battle between the children and the teacher, I had lost. I surrendered. However, today, one small moment gave me that loving feeling back. At recess duty, some of my children decided to go to the book center. I sat with them pretending to know what any of the books were about (they were all in Arabic). One of my students sat next to me and as I turned each page, he pointed to a picture and said a word in Arabic. He looked up at me after each word. I realized he was trying to teach me Arabic. He understands that I don't speak the same language as him and decided to sit next to me for the entire 30 minutes of recess to teach me some words. I did not understand anything he was saying but it was so cute. And to put the icing on the cake, in between teaching me words, he decided to count, in English, the number of people on each page. Moments like this are why I am trapped in the education field. I started this career on a two year Teach for America contract until I could "find something better." Now, I am well into my tenth year. For every time I am ready to quit, some child does something that messes with my soft side and reels me back in. SMH. God truly does have a sense of humor. I guess all that I can do is enjoy the fun parts of the ride and realize that the feeling you get in your stomach on a steep drop is only temporary.
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