All day in my head while at AVID:
Well, she isn’t going to make it her first semester of college with writing like that, IF she even gets accepted.. They are still making them write entrance essays right? Holy shit, does he honestly think the NFL is just four years away? Ehh, who am I to squash a dream so long as he gets a degree while playing in college. All that studying together and she STILL couldn’t pull off anything better than a C, why did I quiz her for three hours last week?! I reeeaaally don’t believe in this Cornell Note taking business, but it is better than no notes I guess. How can I teach something I don’t believe in? Wait, Daddy talked to me about this last night while I was screaming about the AVID teacher’s Teaching Philosophy. Right, right..I’ll be teaching plenty I don’t believe in if I stick with AVID. And also pouring time and energy into kids who won’t make it much passed the stage at graduation, as far as their education is concerned.
To you, some of these kids might seem like a failure when compared to other students. But for them, graduating or simply passing a test is a success.
1. The girl who couldn’t write- She has made VAST improvements since I found her in the beginning of the year. She now knows what a contraction is and how not to use one. And writing a thesis statement is no longer a challenge. Success.
2. The kid who will be the next Payton Manning- He is graduating with a 3.7 and has a full ride to a smaller college in North Carolina. Might I include, he is the first to graduate out of all of his older brothers, three of which are serving time for drugs. Success.
3. Girl who ONLY made a C- Well, she has failed the last two tests in AP Geo. After I showed her an organized way to take notes and study, SHE PASSED!!! OH, and spent a total of three hours last week preparing her for the test. Success.
You might think that all of these kids are unsuccessful. I do too on occasion, but only when I compare them to myself, and my friends. Then I realize I’m in a different place. I step back and look at what they have accomplished, or what they were able to improve on. And every single one of them, except the ones who CLEARLY don’t need to be in the program, have made progress. But, who am I to decide who needs it and who doesn’t? If they can show improvement in this classroom, then I guess it is a success. I did edit the first draft of the valedictorian’s speech last week, and together, we made some improvements, success.
But, why is the valedictorian in a tutoring program? He is probably pretty smart, and developed study habits early in his schooling. So what business does he have getting extra help? Well, I don’t have an answer. And his speech is the only thing I have ever helped him with-other than applying for college, and searching for scholarships. But, whatever, he doesn’t cause trouble, he is quiet, he calls me ma’am (still getting used to this one), and he ran to McDonalds that one time and brought me back a caramel latte. He can stay.
When people ask me if the misguided, jaded, underprivileged, tainted, ill-mannered kids at my Title 1 school are successful, I proudly say yes-and know that my definition of success is different than theirs.
I agree that every child has to be measured only by their individual successes. What ever is a milestone for one child is not necessarily a stretch for another. It's ridiculous that universal standards are implemented to judge students exactly the same. It's wonderful that you care so much for all your students. It shows in your writing.
ReplyDeleteI liked what you said about success. It is true that success depends on that individual, and how they define success. It's great that your hard work is paying off.
ReplyDeleteSuccess, I believe, is very subjective. I completely agree with you when you said that we are all on different places on this one. There are just so many factors to take into consideration. Improving in one's study habits may not be a success story for another who is graduating with honors, if you understand what I mean. We can't just judge other people if they're a failure or not, and I praise your insights about that. Kudos to you for helping those kids succeed and steering them to the right direction.
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