Success... (One Student at a Time)
In no way would I consider my first year of teaching a success. It was trying, strengthening, humbling, and at best inspiring, but a success is something that it was not. For this reason, I look for the measurable gains in my individual students reading and writing ability in order to glimpse even the smallest semblance of success.
In the interest of privacy, I'll call my student Jade. I received Jade as a 16 year old 8th grade student who been absent for over a month of school the previous year during which time she was reported as a 'missing child' for having allegedly ran off with an older man. While, I am always of the belief that it is best to dismiss a student's past behavior history and receive them with new hope and new expectations it is more often than not that the student isn't far removed from their past which moreover informs the present, the student standing right there in front of you today. When Jade would verbally and physically ( attempt to grab my hair) without any reservation or thought as to what might be the consequences, I realized that she had been shoved face to face with the crudeness of life and in comparsion, I was of no consequence whatsoever.
Although I consistently documented her behavior, administered her consequences, contacted her mother, and followed every other established protocol for following this behavior- I will not pretend to be at all responsible for her eventual turn-around. Rarely, does a student wake up one day, have an epiphany, and commit to changing their ways. This , however, is exactly how it seemed to happen to Jade. It was the week of her birthday that I remember this sudden change in disposition, work habits, social interaction, ect. Perhaps, the sobering anticipation of her turning 16 inspired this change, but whatever it was, the moment that I noticed even her most subtle effort to comply and respect, I acknowledged it, thank her, and indirectly prompted her to reflect on the difference between her current and former behavior. The day of Jade's birthday, I handed her a birthday/ thank you card that specifically acknowledged what I had noticed, what I had always believed she was capable of, and my conviction of how she would continue to succeed in the future. Jade received this not with the timid embarrassment of most students who are acknowledged for doing the 'right thing', but with glowing pride. From that day forward, she continued to be a model student and channel her aggression, defensiveness, and hurt into the stimulus for emotion-filled, poignant free-writing. It gets even better...
Jade loved to write, and she loved being complimented on her writing even more. This was not mere flattery, however, as I reserved my praise for those pieces that were truly exemplary. There was one poem, in particular, that was truly captivating and I truly believed that if entered in a contest or literary magazine, would be published. Jade was ecstatic at even the possibility of entering the contest and agreed to continue working with me to get it ready for publishing. The next few afternoons that we spent together, exchanging both verbal and written words, serve as one of the highlights of this past year, and moreover my lifetime. This in and of itself would have been a success, but it gets better... I mailed in her poem that Friday and three weeks later we were informed that Jade received an honorble mention and a spot in the next issue! It didn't matter that she didn't 'win,' receive any monetary award, or even place. The mere mention of her name and presentation of her poem in a magazine was enought to leave Jade with an unabated glow that painted her face for the next three weeks. This in and of itself was infinitely rewarding so that when Jade's mother came to personally thank me- it was no longer conceivable as to how I should be thanked, becuase truly, this was my privilege for which I have the utmost gratitude.
