Driving in a flood, Tyra Banks in a bathing suit, and Compassion

It’s flooding down here. The rain came down this morning. Some people could not make it to work or school. It was not uniform around the city. It was not that bad where I live, but it was terrible north of the city. The cafeteria at my school was actually flooded. They cancelled all of the extra programs after school so that the students could get home. The rain was pretty bad when I left. A normal, 20-minute commute turned in a one and a half hour drive home. The rain was terrible. The freeway was flooded at my exit, so I had to get off an exit early. The rain came down so hard that I could barely see.

It was a terrible storm. I can look outside of my window right now, and it’s amazing—I can see the sun peering through the clouds. I can see its rays shining through. After a terrible storm that has even taken some people’s lives, the sun shines.

It would be too trite to craft a metaphor comparing this weather to how I feel about my life, my students’ lives, and the lives of many people around the world and our struggles; therefore, I’ll just leave the story for what it is. The sun is quite beautiful right now.

As I said in my last post, I have to spend this week doing paperwork for special education. That said, I have to give busy work to give to the students in order for them to stay occupied. I actually needed to give my social skills class a reading diagnostic that I began a while ago but did not finish, so I went to part of that class period today. Since I was giving some people a test, I needed something that the students could work on individually and that seemed interesting. They had to write an essay. But after that, I had them make a collage about their “ideal day.” I had them cut pictures out of magazines.

Now, I do not have that many magazines; therefore, I had to get a bag of magazines from somebody from TFA. I was incredibly grateful—especially since I’m too cheap to actually go buy magazines. Today, however, I learned an invaluable lesson: always preview the magazines that somebody gives you for your class.

As I was explaining the assignment to my students, I noticed a magazine with Tyra Banks in a bathing suit on the front cover. “Ummm, we’re not going to use this one…” I said, as I fumbled to remove the magazine from the bag without the other kids seeing it. One of them must have seen it since he kept asking me to use the magazine—he remarked rather emphatically, “I can’t make a collage of my ideal day without that picture!” I could not help but laugh. These students are hilarious sometimes.

Today, one of the students in the class led the affirmation. When I asked for volunteers, a few students raised their hands, so I was happy to see that they wanted to get involved with it. I hope the message is starting to set in!

Along different lines, as I was going through the files of students on my caseloads, I saw some of the things my students have been through. And I realized one thing my students definitely need from me as a teacher. Yes, they need me to be motivated, hardworking, and firm. But, on top of all that, they need me to be compassionate.

Why should a student believe that I am there to help her when she cannot even trust me? Why should a student not think that I am just another adult on a power trip if I do not show him that I actually care about his ability to do well? I do not want the students to think that I am just another adult abusing his position—another man bent on exercising control over others in order to cope with his own sense of inadequacy.

No, I have to be compassionate. If I do not care, they will see right through me. The end result is not how well I look in front of an administrator or an evaluator. It is, instead, how I look in their eyes. It is whether or not I can motivate them to find their true potential. Even as a teacher, I cannot reach my true potential until I connect my instruction with their true needs. I need them just as they need me.

“I am because we are.”

After a storm and after relentless rain, the dawning of the sun is quite beautiful.