A Not Too Distant Future

Almost everyday taking the train home I have the same experience. The train is usually packed with people, many of them teenagers. In them I see the possibilities for my kids. Some, dressed nicely in school uniforms are reading or talking quietly about the school day. Others don't seem to be pursuing any opportunities at all. Street clothes, piercings, and tattoos are all visible, but no book bags can be seen. Invariably a girl no older than 16 will be holding a stroller.

These are the divergent paths for my students. I see the potential and the pitfall contained within the same subway car and I think to myself how I might keep my students on the right path. One year isn't much time. And given I've spent half the year floundering it's hard to say I've "done my part."

I want to teach my kids the curriculum. I want them to be proficient readers and writers. I want them to master multiplication and division. I want them to pass all the exams that test these skills. Even better I want them to be critical thinkers. Most of all I want to instill something in them that will stay with them until they are "safe," graduating from high school and pursuing some path of their own. I'll keep in touch with them and support them beyond this year any way I can. I don't know exactly what this means, but I'll take any ideas I can get.

Comments

Marcy said…
You do the best you can. Learning is a state of becoming, and not something that is accomplished as a neat package every nine to ten months. You contribute your part to the process, and, hopefully, the students will parlay what you have given them into their future experiences.

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